The Marshal
by Lelila Solo
Summary: U.S. Marshal Emma Swan desperately needs a break, but there's just one more job before she can hang up her gun for a month: get NYC lawyer Regina Mills safely into witness protection. But nothing is a simple as it seems, Emma soon realizes, as the two women are hunted from New York City to a cabin in the Rockies by men who always seem one step ahead.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:_ Hi guys, it's been awhile! _

_This is my first published SwanQueen expedition, hopefully there are many more to come this summer, I have about three other ideas swimming around my brain with little time to write them, but this one kept jumping out at me. _

_The Marshal is based off of a fake movie poster created by absedarian on tumblr - the synopsis is from her poster as well. I've taken many a liberty coming up with this plot, so we'll see how it goes! Thanks for reading, critique and reviews are always welcome :)_

* * *

_30 minutes._

Pushing papers around the sparse desk, devoid of the personal mementos that littered those of her colleagues, Emma Swan stared down the slender hands of her watch as they ticked away the seconds. When her hazel eyes glanced up, white walls bored insanity into her skull. She needed to get out of her office. To her credit, a couple magnets stuck to the filing cabinet by the door splashed some color into her vision. But the bookcase opposite had the same peeling varnish as her sub-standard desk, the books faded until most of the colors were shades of brown and grey. In half an hour, barring unfortunate circumstances that had kept her from Florida for the past three months, she would be heading towards a plane bound for sunshine. Not that Arlington didn't have sun, but the vitamin D in Florida tasted different on her skin. Her vacation request had been approved, again. For the third time in a row. A new assignment had come up at the last minute, as soon as she cleared off her desk, each and every time. She could feel exhaustion wrapping around her bones every time she moved.

_25 minutes._

"You look ready to jump someone, Swan."

She glowered up at her partner, fellow US Marshal Neal Cassidy, who stood in her doorframe; there was a box of pork fried rice in one hand and a plastic spork in the other. She regarded his shaggy hair cut and for a fleeting moment understood why his intern had been drooling earlier. "Don't jinx it, Neal. I need outta here."

"After how trigger happy you were on the 703 last week, I hope you get it. For my safety and the good of the public at large." He dropped into the plain chair on the other side of the desk reserved for wanted visitors, and some not so wanted. Her office wasn't much more than a closet at the end of the room, but it had a door and that was more than Neal and his cubicle could claim.

"Hilarious."

_20 minutes._

"When does your plane leave?" He asked around a mouthful of soy sauce.

"Six fifteen, bag is in the Jeep." She grabbed the over-shuffled papers and filed them away in one of her desk drawers, ignoring the urge to ask him to eat a little less like a seven year old. Actually, that was giving him too much credit. A seven year old had better table manners. Her fingers grazed over the badge that currently adorned the mostly flat desktop, its supple leather highlighting the cracked and chipped finish. "If I have to put this back on my belt again, I'm going to be sick."

"Then grab your trashcan, Swan."

"Sarge?" They both turned to look back at the doorframe, where their commanding officer leaned, manila file in hand. He was ex-military, Emma didn't actually know his rank, but she'd called him Sarge for as long as she'd been with the Marshals.

"Relocation."

"Whaaat?" it was the most childish and drawn out response she could muster.

"Yup."

"You've gotta be kidding me, Sir." She snapped a little brusquely, "No disrespect, but this is bullshit. Isn't there someone else?"

"Everyone else is on assignment."

"Meyers has been sitting at his desk for a week doing nothing," she argued hotly.

"With me, Swan." He turned, expecting her to follow, after a nod at Neal. "File is on your desk, Cassidy."

She followed him like a leashed dog to the spacious office at the other end of the building. An office she aspired to. "I've been waiting for this for months. You know that sir. You heard Neal, trigger happy! I'm a liability."

"Are you asking to be fired, Swan?"

Emma cursed her word choice. "No sir. I'm asking for the vacation I've been approved for three times now."

"I'm sorry."

She was whining now, but she was too tired to care, pride be damned. "I'm overdue. Isn't there –"

"Meyers got orders about an hour ago. I truly am sorry, Em." He looked at her with gentle eyes, like she expected a father might if she knew what having one of those was like. She slumped into one of his office chairs. "I like you, Swan. I didn't think I would. I didn't think you had what it takes."

Her jaw would've dropped if this conversation hadn't been on repeat for two years every time he wanted something from her. She settled for an eye roll.

"Look, you're the best. This is a high profile WP or I would just let Neal do it by himself. But you're the senior officer."

"What is it this time?" She gave in with a sigh.

"The client has gotten entangled with a drug scheme. She not only represented a victim and won, but was also a witness to at least one murder. She's a liability to the corporation; several attempts on her life have already been made." He sounded grim, and as he continued her heart sank further. This was going to be a rough one. "I swear you'll get the month off when you get back. It shouldn't take long."

"Can I get that in writing, Sir? Notarized? Because that's the third time I've heard that," she took the proffered file and sauntered from his office.

A few lingering deputies threw her sympathetic frowns as she passed on her retreat. The fact that she didn't have a family practically guaranteed her every last minute case that landed on Sarge's desk. It was far easier to cancel plans for one than for a family of four. Despite that, she hadn't wanted a family, not in many years. She'd thrown herself into her work, ascending ranks faster than people thought she could and getting higher up than her sparse friends dreamed was possible. But everyone knew how it felt to be overworked, even if their definition of the term was looser than it was for her. Neal called out, "Another New York lawyer, ADA this time. Looks like the Jeep will be sitting a little longer. Where were you going again anyways?"

"Doesn't matter, Cassidy." She never told them where she went. It was her spot. She was untouchable there, completely invisible. But it would have to wait, another month, maybe longer.

Refraining from slamming her door, she threw the file haphazardly onto her desk before throwing herself into the swiveling chair. Momentum had her spinning for a couple minutes. The dingy Marshal badge mocked her from its position. With a growl she jammed it back onto the well-worn patch of belt at her right hip and flipped open the manila folder.

* * *

Case: 0071834  
Office: Witness Protection Services  
Priority: Alpha 7

Senior Officer: Swan, Emma  
Assisting Officer: Cassidy, Neal B.  
Corresponding Officer: Booth, August

Client Detail:  
relocation site: Pagosa Springs, Colorado, USA  
alias: Wilma Miller  
D.O.B: 7-18-1977 36 yrs SSN: 714-82-1417

Mills, Regina A.D.A.  
New York City, New York, USA  
D.O.B: 5-27-1978 35 yrs SSN:714-274-3120

* * *

Her eyes kept scanning but she didn't read anything past her newest client's name. Regina Mills. It couldn't be her. After every step Emma had taken to eradicate that woman from her memory, she couldn't just show up again in her life. Not like this. Her top lip sucked between her teeth in a most unflattering expression, Emma flipped the page. The whimper tangled in her vocal chords slid free. Staring back at her were eyes she'd hoped to never see again. She quickly flipped again, but the rest of the file was relatively empty. No further details on what sort of trouble her client was in. Or who she was in trouble with.

"What the hell have you gotten yourself into?" she whispered, flipping back to the head shot. Her fingertips absently traced the flip of the pictured woman's hair. It was shorter now, severe, regal. _Regina_.

Caught up in decade old memories, she didn't hear Neal open the door. After a few seconds of watching his partner, concern swirled in his voice, "Emma?"

She jumped, her hand reflexively darting for a left side drawer. As her eyes met his, she dragged herself out of an old town in the middle of a forest in Maine and back to the present. With a groan she realized she was as trigger happy as Neal thought, and let her hand continue its course to the drawer to retrieve her guns. Nodding at him, she stood, snatching her trademark jacket from the back of her chair. With a grin she asked, "Ready to go?"

"Chopper's on the way," he said as he fell into step beside her, regarding her curiously.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N:_ Hi all! _

_Wow! Thank you all for the out pouring of support! I really appreciate it. I tried to respond to everyone who submitted a signed review, and I will always try to do that, no matter how short :) So keep them coming, I love feedback and love hearing what you'd all like to see._

_To highlight one question posed by a guest - will Henry be featured? I'm not entirely sure yet, to be honest. I have reasons to have him and reasons to not. The poster and synopsis were the springboard for this, but I probably won't be following the guest star list closely. For instance Costar-Waldau, Murray, and Clarke probably won't be in this. I don't know the former two and while I love Emilia, I don't see her fitting into the plot at this point. But things could change as they typically do while I'm writing. Also, the music affecting this fic isn't Adele and The Civil Wars. It's Hurts and P!nk (and 'Poison and Wine' by The Civil Wars). _

_Big shout out to my girl, my bff Janelle, and Kelsey for helping me out with this so far. I hope you guys like this next chapter, hopefully we'll have another up on Monday and maybe we'll get some Regina/Emma interaction ;)_

* * *

_Her foot rested on the lowest rail of the fence, her arms occupied the top as she leaned and watched. The breeze was cool, dragging the blonde hair she'd scraped into a ponytail across her neck. A rider and a big rust colored horse cleared another jump and a grin pulled at the left corner of her mouth. She wasn't sure if she'd been noticed yet, the rider was deep in concentration and she had forgotten her jacket, the one that practically shouted "Here I am!" in this sleepy town. The sun was warm today, she hadn't needed it. Everything smelled fresh and earthy out here, not like the cities she was used to slumming in._

_The rider came to a stop and a trainer walked up to speak with her. After a couple seconds, the rider took off towards the barn. A frown pulled her grin down. Her boot left the rail to scuff the ground, finding little resistance from the newly cut grass. She sighed, the smell of horses wrinkling her nose. She had never liked horses. They were big and scared her. And yet she came here every day and watched._

_She was about to turn and walk back to the yellow Bug she'd parked in the far corner of the parking lot when thundering hooves echoed in her ears. She looked up in time to see a stunning smile behind a pair of pricked ears. Her own smile slid easily into place._

"_Emma!" Regina said brightly, reining her horse to a stop and patting his neck. This horse was smaller, black, one of the exercise horses kept at the stable as an extra for trail rides. The blonde put her hand up to his nose. He nudged it playfully, nostrils flaring from his quick ride. "You ready?"_

_She climbed the fence, hopping over the top rail._

"_You wore the boots!"_

_Emma's smile grew a little. "Of course I did."_

_Regina beamed at her. She'd finally convinced Emma to face her fear, and had even bought her a pair of cowboy boots as incentive. She kicked out of her stirrup to loan it to Emma to use. "Relax, he can feel your fear."_

"_Right, and that's supposed to help me," Emma huffed. This was her second ride. The first had been a quick trot around the school yard, but it looked like Regina was going to take them out around the fields today. Her right hand gripped the back of the saddle and her left landed on Regina's thigh. She quickly pulled it away, the fabric scalding an impression only she could see on her palm. Regina took her hand casually; Emma hooked her boot into the stirrup and hoisted herself up. When she swung her other leg over to sit behind Regina, her heel caught the horse on rump and before she knew it dust was billowing around her from where she lay on her back in the grass._

_Coughing, she pushed herself up onto her elbows and watched a pair of brunette French braids gallop away on the black horse. Collapsing back onto the grass to catch her breath, she stared up at the blue sky until she heard the hooves approaching again. At Regina's frantic calling, she closed her eyes. The thud of Regina dropping to the ground and running to her side pulled a sigh from her lungs._

"_Emma!"_

_The blonde kept her eyes closed, muscles still._

"_Emma! Em." Regina crouched beside her, hands on her shoulders. She didn't want to shake her if her spine or head had been injured._

_Emma cracked an eyelid open, catching the concern deeply etched into the brunette's forehead. She struggled back up onto her elbows, soreness setting in. "Stupid horse."_

"_Oh thank god," Regina wrapped her arms around the blonde's neck. Emma knew then that she would fall off a thousand horses if it meant having Regina pressed to her like that._

"'_Gina–," _

_Regina pulled back and punched Emma in the shoulder – lightly. "You idiot! I thought you were hurt!"_

_Emma caught her wrist as she swung again, laughter creeping from her lungs. Initially Regina resisted, wrestling for the possession of her wrist until the laughter caught on. Then they were rolling and wrestling in the dirt until they hit the fence. The laughter bubbled out awkwardly as they stilled. Emma hovered above Regina, catching her breath again. Her ponytail had fallen out, cascading down in a curtain that shimmered gold in the sunlight. When a hand slid along her jaw, palm sliding to cup her cheek, she met Regina's eyes._

_She could never get enough of looking into them; they reminded her of dark chocolate truffles that melted in the sun and clear nights when the moon shone bright. But now there was something she'd never seen before swimming below the surface._

"_I – I'm sorry," she stammered._

_It came out in a breathy whisper and ghosted over Regina's skin. It was only when Regina responded "it's okay" and Emma could feel her lips forming the words rather than hear them that she realized how close they were. Regina closed her eyes, lips still parted, and Emma closed the gap. _

_After a moment, Regina responded, her soft lips moving like feathers. Her hand fell from Emma's cheek and wrapped around her back._

_But Emma pulled away suddenly, fear settling in her eyes. "I – I didn't, my arm slip –"_

_She got up quickly, brushing off her jeans before offering Regina a hand up._

_Regina held tightly to the offered fingers once she was on her feet. "Emma."_

"_I didn't mean to…"_

"_I did."_

_Blue eyes snapped back to dark. Regina bit her lip. Emma pulled her close with a jerk, kissing her hotly, pushing her back against the fence railing as the other's hands slid over the small of her back once more. Her tongue pushed into Regina's mouth, claiming her, flicking over the backs of white teeth and against the roof of her mouth. A low moan greeted her intrusion and she slowed the frantic assault. Her kisses turned sweet, gentle, before she pulled away to fill her lungs with air._

_Regina watched her, catching her own breath. "How about we get back on that horse now?" She flicked her eyes over to the animal pawing the ground with impatience._

_Alarm made Emma's eyebrows shoot up._

"_The best thing to do, after you fall, is to get right back on," Regina said, taking her arms away from Emma's body and walking back to take the reins._

"_No way."_

"_Emma."_

_She said it in such a condescending manner that Emma felt like she was five again and her foster mother was reprimanding her for stealing a cookie. Her head was still spinning, she felt herself slowly coming back down to earth as oxygen filtered into her blood. "How many times have you fallen off?" _How many times have you wanted to do that?

"_Eleven," she retorted matter-of-factly. And with a knowing look added quietly, "and many."_

_She was already up in the saddle before Emma made it over to the horse, pulling her ponytail back up as she walked._

"_Leg over the horse this time."_

_Emma made a mocking noise and swung up behind Regina. Regina took back the stirrup and Emma settled in, her legs spooning the brunette's, her arms coming to a rest around her waist as an anchor._

"_Now, we're going to take this nice and slow," Regina said simply, a moment before she kicked the horse into a gallop._

* * *

"Emma, Emma."

Damn it if she'd fallen off that horse again.

But she hadn't.

"Swan."

Her eyes popped open. She was on a plane. Neal was beside her, hand on her forearm. She shook her head, the fairytale gone.

"You slept kinda hard there."

"I…I had a dream," Emma said. As her life came rushing back to her, she thought about the fact that that memory had not surfaced in her dreams in years.

Neal chuckled, "A good one at least?"

"Yeah," she said absently. They had arrived at JFK airport; her mission would begin as soon as they stepped off plane. She needed to get into the game.

"You sure nothing's wrong, boss?" Neal unbuckled his seatbelt, standing to open the overhead bin and snatch their bags.

"Yes, Neal. I'm fine. Just a weird dream," Emma said, following suit and taking her bag from him as they walked up the jet way. The airport was crowded, but they could make out a guy holding up a sign that had 'Swan' scrawled across it with what had probably been a dying marker.

"Hey, look its Booth!" Neal nudged her arm, chuckling again.

A smile lit up her face as they neared their corresponding Marshal, August Booth. "Hey. I didn't realize you'd be picking us up."

"Short staffed, what can I say?" He gave her a hug and shook Neal's hand. "I may have missed you a little bit too."

"Short staffed, huh?" Emma fell into step next to him, with Neal taking up the rear. "That why I'm being called away from my vacation to ferry a witness across the country?"

"Basically. That and no one else has your record."

She shouldered him as they walked, chatting and catching up. She'd moved departments and been relocated to Arlington seven years earlier, leaving her former partner behind in New York. "Still have the bike?"

"Yup, I would've brought it for a joy ride, but they told me your boy here was coming and I didn't think it'd be very fair to make him take a cab," August looked back at Neal with a chuckle of his own.

"He's not my boy," Emma rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah," August put a hand on her shoulder. "We know how you are with the ladies." She shot him a warning look as they climbed into the black escalade parked in a restricted section and August picked up a radio. "Package is secure. Headed home."

"I'm a package now?" Emma tossed her bag to Neal in the backseat. As New York City unfolded before them, she got serious about the case. "So what's up with the ADA?"

"Well, she got involved on the wrong end of drug cartel business, but we aren't sure which one. Sent one guy to jail about two months ago. Witnessed a murder two weeks after that, and then another one. She can't catch a break. The cops pursued the case and she's the star witness. Five separate attempts on her life have been made. The case wraps today, the guy is going to prison. Needless to say, she's a dead woman if we don't get her out now. And that's where you come in."

She took mental notes as he unloaded every detail he knew. "So you still don't know who's trying to kill her?"

"No. We can't pin point the cartel these guys are with. They are low on the totem pole, no identifying marks if you get my drift and they aren't talking."

"Surprise, surprise," Neal said from the back.

"We've arranged secure destinations for your travel. No flights, they'll be watching the airports. She doesn't know we're coming, but the cops told her to pack a bag just in case something happened. Your schedule is at the office, and it's been faxed–"

"To Sarge," she finished for him. She'd seen it on his desk.

"This isn't going to be a fun trip, Em," August admitted.

"So how are we getting to Colorado?" Neal chimed in again.

"We've got you two Surburbans; you'll be driving a lot."

"Two?"

"Well, we're pretty sure at least one of them will end up collateral." Emma watched in the rearview as the color in Neal's face drained a little and snickered. These were the best missions; life on the line, probably a car chase or two, fire fights. It kept them on their toes.

"You ready for this Cassidy? Or should I leave you here and bring Booth with me? This isn't a 703," she barked.

He snapped to attention," I was born ready."

August smirked, "Yeah, I bet."

Emma laughed genuinely for the first time in a while, until it reminded her of rolling around in the grass with a certain girl and her expression darkened. "You guys have a range in the basement still right?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to shoot something."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: _Hello darlings! Thanks again for the support, sorry about the weekend furlough. I don't have internet at home, so I'm trying to get these done when I can so I can publish them when I'm at school. _

_One note - the use of "'Gina" was more of a moment where the first part of Regina's name got muffled, rather than Emma called her Gina. I don't like Gina as a nickname for Regina. However, I will use Em for Emma. I shorten people's names to as few syllables as possible in every day conversation and have called every Emma that I've ever known "Em" at one point or another. I call my roommate Steph, my girlfriend Lan, my high school friend Min, my employees Liv, Cerda, Kay. I'm sorry if you don't like that. It won't be pervasive, but it will be there. It's a natural tendency of mine and lends an impression of intimacy, in my opinion. People who know each other well. _

_Thank you Janelle for editing the shit out of this for me. And now, for your feature presentation._

* * *

She stalked out of the court chambers, chin high. Justice had been served, regardless of the personal cost. It wouldn't be the first time her life had completely altered because of something she believed in.

Four armed police officers flanked her like a royal guard, hyper vigilant to the point of negligence. They were tired, keeping surveillance on her at all hours of the day and night. She had watched from the edge of her vision the lurker that they had missed, speaking quickly on a cell phone, hooded eyes tracking her movements. And the car that now followed them. A green SUV had started its engine when she stepped into the police cruiser. When they pulled away from the curb, it followed, letting three cars fill the gap between them, but making every turn to the second. If this was protection, it was a wonder she was still alive.

"They're following us," she murmured, flipping through that day's newspaper. Subsisting on police protection after the second attempt on her life, a break-in at her small mansion just beyond the city, had prompted many changes in her daily routine. She hadn't been home in over a week, but she insisted on reading the paper every day.

"Relax, ma'am," Officer Zelaya said without a glance back. "We're on it."

But she noted with a smirk that he relayed her observations through the radio as she continued to read. The Lion King was coming back to Broadway after its country wide tour. Pollution was actually lower last month than in the previous year. You could blame the economy for that, foot traffic had been horrendous. Money was the root of all evil. She set the paper aside and pulled out her compact, using the mirror to look out the back window without the slightest turn of her head. The green SUV was gone. Maybe her royal guard wasn't so inept after all.

Shadows fell over the car a few moments later as they pulled into the underground garage of the hotel she'd been sequestered in for days. Not the safest place in the world, but so far so good. Two black Suburbans parked off to the side caught her attention and she eyed them cautiously. They were too inconspicuous to be inconspicuous. That, and they were identical, down to the wear and tear, the ornamentation, the license plates. Someone had been paid far too little for that job. But the police ignored them.

"Ms. Mills," Officer Zelaya offered her a hand out and she was shuffled into a service elevator that took her to her room. Two of the officers stood guard in the hallway, attempting to be casual. If someone wanted to kill her, they'd painted a bullseye in bright red on her back.

She dropped her briefcase and blazer onto a chair in the first room, stepping out of her heels as she made her way back to the portioned bedroom. Her feet sighed in relief when they hit carpet. She wanted sweats and ice cream, but settled for staring at her reflection in the mirror, pulling at the crow's feet pinching the corners of her eyes. The muscles in her neck had cramped during the day and she rubbed her fingers into them after fluffing out the ends of her short hair. It was more efficient than the longer locks of youth, but she had to admit that she missed the length. Before she could sink into the loneliness that accompanied her sequester and reflect on exactly how many days it had been since she'd seen a proper bath, there was a sharp knock on the door.

"What?" she barked.

She'd had enough of the police for one day.

* * *

Emma took a deep breath, shaking out the nerves from her limbs. Adrenaline had poured into her veins from the moment Regina crossed her gaze in the rearview. Not a good way to start this particular relocation. She needed her wits about her. Regina's face had been turned away, but she'd know that purposeful gait anywhere.

"Dude, Swan, chill," August said, a hand settling on her arm. "What's gotten into you?"

She flashed him and Neal a smile. They were taking the same service elevator up that Regina had been on moments ago and she could pick up traces of perfume. "It's been awhile since I've been on a high class mission, what can I say?"

The men didn't buy it. Emma Swan never got nervous, unless it was for show. "Swan."

"Drop it guys, it's not important." She closed her eyes, willing away the feeling of soft lips on her neck.

Neal pulled the emergency stop on the elevator and stared her down. "If you're going to endanger anyone on this team –"

"You'll what, Cassidy? Do it yourself? Lock me up?" she snapped, eyes blazing at his suggestion of incompetence. "Good luck."

At August's staying hand gesture he let the elevator continue its trek upwards and when it came to a stop, Emma strode out as cool, collected, and confident as she ever was. August had to give Neal some credit though. It wasn't many a person who stood up to Emma Swan. They trailed behind at her heels as she made her way to the uniformed officers.

"Officer Zelaya," August snuck around Emma to shake his hand. Emma's eyes flicked to the hotel room door he was standing in front of. "This is US Marshal Emma Swan, and her Deputy Neal Cassidy."

Zelaya shook Emma's hand. "I've heard a lot about you. Welcome to the team."

"Thank you, Officer," she grinned, releasing his hand. "Shall we get started?"

"Eager, I like you already." He raised a hand to pound on the door. A harsh 'what' hit her ears before he opened it and ushered them inside. Emma's confidence faltered for a moment as she told herself, _she probably doesn't even remember you._ Her boys entered the room first and she followed, coming to a stop behind the officer having what seemed to be a heated discussion with his client.

"Excuse me?" the surprise was evident in the female voice.

Her heart fluttered. She'd missed that voice. _Poker face, Emma. Poker face._

"You are being relocated, for your own safety. If I could, I'd like to introduce the Marshals from Witness Protection who will be accompanying you." He was basically pleading with her. _Oh Regina, you never change_. "Marshal August Booth is the corresponding agent from the New York office. Deputy Neal Cassidy."

She shook their hands in turn.

"And, in charge," he moved to the side so Emma could step forward. "Marshal Emma –"

"Swan," Regina said, her jaw hanging a little slack from shock.

A smirk of satisfaction tugged at Emma's poker face.

"Marshals, this is your client, Ms. Regina Mills. One of New York's finest assistant district attorneys."

Regina blinked a few times, her hand hesitating to rise to meet Emma's for the obligatory hand shake. "Your reputation precedes you, Ms. Swan."

"It's a pleasure, Ms. Mills. All good I hope." Emma relaxed slightly when it became apparent that Regina would play the game. "I hadn't quite expected our client to be so put together."

After a funny look, Regina proceeded, "You are not from New York then?"

"Not the office, no," Emma sidestepped the question. "They ordered me up special from Arlington. Seems you're quite the target."

They made small talk for a few more minutes, feigning mild entertainment at the task before them. Emma finally cut off August's blatant hero worship to ask the guys to give them a few moments. "I'll make sure Ms. Mills is ready for her sudden departure."

"Please, call me Regina," the brunette said, not meeting Emma's gaze.

"Regina, then," Emma almost sighed as the name rolled off her tongue for the first time in years.

Nods of agreement led to the men retreating from the room to strategize, leaving Emma and Regina alone. The cordial overtones dropped quickly. Emma bristled, on edge. Regina crossed her arms, defensive.

In spite of herself, all Emma wanted to do was to kiss her, to replace decade old memories with new ones. To replace the bitter taste that every stolen kiss from a strange lover left in her mouth, or erase the grating of a muffled moan she didn't know from her ears. Regina was sweet, melodic, and Emma kept her eyes averted to resist the urge. _It's been ten years, she didn't feel that way about you then and she sure as hell doesn't now._

In the end, Regina spoke first. "So, how are you?"

"Fine," Emma said, a little too quickly.

"You seem tired." At least her intense observational skills were still intact.

"This is the third time my vacation has been thwarted."

"Big word," Regina loosened her arms a bit. "Glad to see you've expanded your vocabulary, Ms. Swan."

Emma glared at her. "Same old Regina."

"Same old Emma," Regina shot back, turning to walk back to the bedroom. "I'm sorry the assassination attempts have taken you from your vacation. Where were you going?"

"Duty calls," Emma said simply, ignoring the question at the end. Silence hung in the air like a curtain between them, a heavy velvet curtain. "So, uh, how are you?"

"Really, Ms. Swan?"

"Well, I haven't seen you in ten years, Regina," Emma snapped bitterly. "A lot can happen."

The accusation clung to the curtain of silence between them. Regina sat on the end of the bed, crossing her legs, staring at a spot on the floor for too many moments before she answered. "I got what I wanted from life. My career is demanding, but worth it. Until now."

"Do you think this is a game, Regina?" Emma snapped again, the anger simmering underneath the surface turning her irises a shocking green. Her game face was lowering into place as she stalked over to the woman she could hardly stand to be next to. Fear flickered beneath the dark irises she glared into. "Let me make myself understood. You are officially, legally, under my protection. You will do as I say, when I say it, where I say, and how I say. You will reveal to me, immediately, any and all information pertaining to this case, your safety, and/or the safety of anyone and everyone else on this detail, so as to make my incredibly difficult job a bit easier. And it is incredibly difficult. As soon as your relocation has been ascertained, I will disappear from your life and you will never see me again, so there is a light at the end of your long dark tunnel. Believe me; I regret this as much as you do. But I am your best shot at surviving. I am in charge of this operation, not you. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Marshal," Regina relented. "Crystal. Now, are you going to kiss me, or do you always get this close to your clients?"

Emma's eyes hardened, her face inches from Regina's. "Hell would have to freeze over first."

Regina glared back.

"Get your bag, Ms. Mills. We'll be leaving soon." Emma waited until Regina stood to gather her things before making a surveillance round. Pulling back the curtain on the balcony window just enough, she surveyed the outside of the building. Nothing seemed amiss.

Static crackled in her radio. "Swan?"

"What's up, Neal?"

"Zelaya's undercover guy up front says a couple guys just came in. He didn't like the look of them. Thinks he saw a gun. You ready?"

"We'll be out. Cars ready?"

"Revving."

She smirked. "Good."

A minute of static. "Emma, there's someone down here."

She ran to the door, peering out of the peephole. The cops had disappeared. Shadows from around the corner greeted her. "Shit. Regina!"

"One minute, Marshal."

"We are leaving now. Leave the makeup," Emma snapped, pulling out her gun and flicking the safety off.

"I said on–" Emma grabbed Regina's upper arm, dragging her from the bathroom.

"I said now!"

Regina saw the gun. "Emma?"

The blonde closed her eyes. Ten years of longing to hear her name from Regina's lips made it go straight to her head. "Do you trust me?"

Regina stared at her.

"Regina!"

"Yes. I trust you."

Emma nodded. "Arm around my waist." The ADA's overnight bag was sandwiched securely against her back. With a breath, Emma kicked the door out. It swung open the wrong way so violently that the hinges snapped. Gun shots rang in the air, but the door served as cover while she herded her charge down the hall. She pounded the button for the elevator, using her body to shield Regina's, answering the gun fire with her own precision shots as the door began to fall and leave them exposed. When the elevator finally opened, they backed in, Emma shooting back until the door closed. Panting, she released Regina. Adrenaline pulsed with the blood in her ears.

"What the hell was that?" Regina asked between breaths.

"The fucking reason I told you to listen to me!" Emma reloaded her gun. "Do you get it now?"

Regina nodded.

"They will not stop if you stay here. You are leaving, assuming a new identity, and completely forgetting that this life ever happened. You will be in hiding for the rest of your life. You may not contact anyone you know. You will lie about everything until the day you die. Are you prepared for that?" Emma realized she was coming on a little strong as Regina cowered in the corner. But the woman was stubborn and needed to be beaten sometimes. "Because you better be. I will not risk my life for someone who thinks this is a game."

The elevator door opened and Emma pushed Regina behind the nearest car. With her gun following her vision, she waited for Neal's all clear signal. The hazard lights on the back of one of the Suburbans flashed and she quickly moved Regina towards it. Once between the large vehicles, she ushered Regina into the back of the unoccupied one.

Neal put down his window. "I took care of the lurker. You okay?"

"A little fire fight, kicked down a door," Emma shrugged. "We gotta go."

"Roger that."

She rounded the car, sliding into the driver's seat. Regina had already buckled her seat belt. Emma thought for a second before reaching into the passenger side floor space to retrieve her flak jacket. She tossed it back. "Put this on."

"What about you?" Regina stared at the bulky object.

"Regina, just do it," Emma growled, pulling out of her parking spot. Neal trailed her, trying to keep up with her traffic patterns as they pulled into the New York bustle. They hadn't run into a need for evasive maneuvering yet, but she wasn't taking chances. "Say goodbye to New York."


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: _Sorry I've been away for so long guys! My semester is winding down. Finished my first final today. But I made a promise on Tumblr that it would be up by Wednesday. So I'm making good on that. (If you want better progress updates, you should follow me there. I tag everything #The Marshal that has to do with this fic. My URL is in my profile.)_

_For everyone asking questions about Emma and Regina's back story: There are going to be bits and pieces littered through the story that will help you put the puzzle together. A few of them are going to show up here. They were in a relationship at some point and they were both at fault for the fall out._

_Ps - I don't actually know how one would go about calling the US Marshals (or if that's how the phone would be answered) so suspend your disbelief a little bit._

_Comments and constructive criticism are always welcome. I look forward to hearing from you!_

_Enjoy :)_

* * *

Fingers drummed on a desk. A ring adorned one knuckle, glinting in the only light cast by a desk lamp. Frustration mounted as he watched the security screens to his left. There was no movement in the warehouse, none that was out of place. Pounding the remote, he turned to the door. The humming stopped, drowning him in an easy silence. His ears worked just fine, tuned to pick up approaching footsteps. The footsteps that would signal a scuffle in the hallway he knew was coming. The scuffle would precede the door being flung open. A fighting victim would be dumped on the floor in front of his desk. Tear diluted eyes would look up at his to beg for mercy. A smile that showed off his gold tooth would be the last thing she saw before he blew her face off for landing his best men in prison.

Silence continued to pound in his ears.

He considered turning the screens back on.

He refused to submit to pacing to pass the time.

Finally, footsteps echoed through the warehouse. A frown tightened his lips to a fine line. A single pair of feet, unburdened. There was no scuffle or uneven steps of resistance. They slowed as they neared, hesitant. The door knob shook slightly as it turned and the door pushed open.

"Where is she?" he snarled.

"Sh-she got away." A gulp.

"How?"

"They had Marshals." A plea.

"I sent enough men to take out a squad of police! How did she get away!"

"The Marshal."

"_Which_ Marshal?" He'd dealt with plenty of Marshals before.

"Blonde hair – long –"

The growl came from deep in his throat. "Emma Swan."

The lackey nodded, agreeing to whatever he thought could save his life.

"Oh get out! I won't kill you." A snort of amusement as the man scampered away like a rat. He picked up the phone, listened to it ring a few times.

"U.S. Marshals, how can I direct your call?"

"David Nolan, please." A moment's wait for the connection. A curious hello at the other end.

"Sergeant Nolan," a wicked edge in his voice. "I believe you owe me a favor."

* * *

"You should have taken –"

"Regina."

"I think we should –"

"Regina."

"But –"

"Regina!" Emma snapped, reaching a hand between the front seats to push the backseat driver away from her ear. Regina landed in her seat with an 'oomph.' "I know where I'm going."

"You said –"

"And buckle up. What are you, ten?"

"I thought you weren't from New York City. You said Arlington," Regina protested.

"Do you know how many high profile New Yorkers I've had to assist in the last ten years?" Emma questioned with an eyebrow raise and a glance in the rearview. "I know how to get lost here."

"Why are we getting lost?"

"Because we don't want to be found. Or do you prefer being shot at? Because personally I'd like to get out of here with as little collateral as possible." She pulled off onto a side road, doubling back, checking to make sure Neal was still behind her from time to time, before submerging herself in tunnel traffic on their way out of the city and into New Jersey. She stopped them to fill up on gas, asking Regina if she wanted anything from the convenience store while a Middle Eastern man in his presumable mid-fifties filled the tank for her. The ADA scoffed. Emma shrugged, "Suit yourself."

Neal caught up with her in the store. "Where to, boss?"

"They're going to find us sooner or later, we'll sling low through PA and try to get into Ohio for the night."

"You want us to stay on the turnpike?"

"For as long as we can." She paid the expectant cashier for her goods before separating from Neal to get back into her SUV. Regina sulked in the backseat. "Sorry this isn't a first class flight, Your Majesty. But at least you'll get to see the sights. Ever been to Amish country?"

"Fortunately, no. I prefer civilization."

"Jeez, Regina. You came from a small town in the middle of nowhere too."

"I haven't called Storybrooke home for a long time now."

Emma didn't have a comeback; neither had she.

Regina cast her gaze out of the intensely tinted windows. Storybrooke had been such a long time ago, it seemed. A lifetime ago. They drove in silence as industrialization faded into rolling hills. She could almost see two horses racing over them, blonde and brown hair streaming in the air. Carefree. Naïve.

But they had never been naïve. Both of them had known, somehow, that things would end the way they did. She'd never known why though. Storybrooke had become unbearable without Emma, and she had left less than a month after the blonde disappeared from her life in the middle of the night. Instead of looking back to the blonde in front of her, Regina closed her eyes and looked back at old memories, the Emma that she had stored in her mind.

* * *

_They were walking down Main Street. Leaves were scattering in the wind, dragging over pavement with a familiar drawn-out scratch. Emma had coerced her into holding hands, but Regina admitted to herself that she liked the warmth of the other's palm pressed to hers. She couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips when Emma's fingers flexed. They had spent the afternoon riding. Emma had quickly mastered the basics of controlling her horse and Regina let her smile deepen as she recalled the prideful glow coming from Emma when she'd completed a flying change – a fluke. Her head turned to hide the growing smile, but the blonde caught it._

"_What is it?" Emma asked. They were on their way to Lucas' Diner – everyone called it Granny's – to get dinner. "Why are you smiling?"_

_Regina took a moment to study the woman next to her, bringing them to a halt. Apollo had dipped her in the sun himself. Passion burned hot in her blood. Strands of hair fell like rays of sunlight. Regina felt it necessary to constantly run her fingers through it, to ascertain its tangibility. But her eyes were from Poseidon, ever changing as the color of ocean waves. She could swim in them, down to the very core of Emma, if she looked long enough. "You are so beautiful."_

_Emma blushed._

_Forgetting that they were in public, Regina leaned forward and kissed her. Emma opened to the kiss, her hand leaving Regina's to cup her cheek. They stumbled back against a brick wall. Emma sucked Regina's bottom lip between hers._

_A wolf whistle from across the street tore them apart. Ruby, a waitress from the diner and Emma's fast friend, was laughing at them. Emma smirked while Regina hid her head. "Hey, come on. It's just Ruby. It's just a kiss."_

"_In public." Regina felt Emma bristle. They had very different opinions about public displays of affection. Regina simply didn't feel the need to prostrate herself or her relationship to the town. Emma didn't care if they got caught having sex._

_But Emma let it go this time. "Come on. Dinner."_

* * *

"Regina?" Emma called from the front seat. She had just gotten off a call with Sarge, giving him their location and estimated arrival time at a little motel inside of the state line in Ohio. The brunette's eyes snapped open. "Your stomach is growling."

She shrugged. The Emma from her memory still felt so real. A tear had rolled down her cheek just thinking about it - back when she was happy.

Emma rolled her eyes, but caught the tear. "What's wrong?"

Regina shook her head.

Emma persisted. "Regina, what were you thinking about? It's all going to be okay. I'm going to keep you safe."

"Us."

"Us?"

"Yes. Ms. Swan. I was thinking about us. Or have you forgotten about that?"

Emma was silent. She snatched a snack bag from the passenger seat and threw it back to Regina.

The brunette's eyes widened. Cheetos.

"Comfort food."

"How did you –" Regina stared at the bag, holding it tenderly.

"I remember."

* * *

"_You're such an idiot."_

"_Did you even go to high school?" Regina threw back. "Oh no, I forgot. You were too busy stalking the streets for flashy cars to take on joy rides."_

"_Shut up," Emma pushed Regina against the siding of the pawn shop. "You don't know anything!"_

"_You were a thief. You went to juvie for lifting some watches. Then you stole that precious beetle of yours, used laundered money to pay for a new VIN, and disappeared to a tiny town in Maine. How you convinced Sheriff Graham to hire you without putting out is beyond me." Regina pushed her away. "I know plenty."_

"_You have no idea what I've been through," Emma snapped bitterly, on the verge of walking away._

_The break in her voice tugged at Regina's heart. "That's because you never tell me anything."_

_Emma refused to look at her._

"_Come on." Regina caught her hand and held tightly. "We'll go get snacks and watch a movie. You can stay the night. You can tell me what I need to know about the elusive and mysterious Emma Swan."_

_The blonde brightened considerably. "Only if I get to pick the movie."_

"_As long as it's not Snow White, I don't care," Regina said. They ran to the store where she let Emma wander through the aisle of junk food while she found a bag of baby carrots. She was distracted from contemplating the celery to her left when Emma spoke up from her side._

"_You're kidding me."_

_She looked up to see Emma with an armful of mini donuts, potato chips, and M&Ms. With a disdainful glance she commented on the blonde's choice of snacks. "You're a pig."_

"_No. It's movie night. You have to eat junk." Emma stole the carrots and tossed them back. She dragged Regina to the aisle she'd recently vacated. "What's your favorite?"_

_Regina looked uncomfortable._

"_Pretzels?"_

"_No."_

"_Gushers?"_

_A shake of her head._

"_No?" Emma scanned the contents of the aisle before she seized a package, showing it to Regina. The brunette nodded, a smile on her face. They made their way to the counter where Emma paid for her chips, donuts, candy, and Regina's bag of Cheetos._

"_What do you have against Snow White anyways?"_

* * *

"What the hell did you get yourself into anyways?" Emma broke the silence again. It was about time she got Regina's side of the story.

"What?"

"Well, there's a reason we had to escape beneath a hailstorm of bullets," Emma signaled and pulled into the left lane to pass a truck. "So what happened?"

"I witnessed some murders. A cartel wasn't happy when I put their guys behind bars."

"You're sure it's a cartel?"

"A guess."

"I just don't get putting your life on the line to send a drug dealer to prison. Seems worth it," Emma snapped sarcastically.

"Justice is always worth it," Regina said it with that matter-of-fact air that used to drive Emma up the wall.

"Even when the cost is your life? Is that really what you would die for?" Emma questioned quickly; genuinely curious. Regina had been quiet for most of their trip through rural Pennsylvania.

"That's my job," Regina laughed dryly. She'd noticed Emma's out of place temper flare and it piqued her interest. "I saw a murder. I was already on his shit list for the drug bust. Wrong place, wrong time. They don't like prosecutors much, but they like witnesses even less. After the first, I saw a second. Then he really didn't like me. The drug schemes are a big part of New York City underground. I landed three of his men in jail. He wants payback."

"He? Who is he?" Emma questioned, poker face on. "I thought you said that you thought it was the cartels."

"It probably is, but they have a leader right?" Regina said smoothly. While Emma tried to detect a lie, Regina turned her head back to the window. "So what about you?"

It caught Emma off guard. "Huh?"

"So eloquent." Regina smiled playfully, trying to diffuse the tension. "That was your thing, finding someone to die for, right?"

Emma's eyes widened. Her brow creased with sadness. She looked down. "Yeah."

"And did you find somebody to die for?"

When Emma looked back up, Regina caught her reflection in the rearview. The gates to her soul had been closed, but she could see the hurricane brewing behind them. "Yes. I did."

Regina flinched, barely. But Emma caught it before a small smile took hold. "Really? So?"

"So what, Regina?"

"She or he?"

"They threw me out with the rest of Friday's garbage. Is that what you wanted to hear?" Emma said shortly. She didn't care to get into this. She had a job to do. "Now, your cartel guy."

"Are you always so interested in the affairs of your clients, Ms. Swan? Or just mine?" She said it too harshly. She was trying to process Emma's reaction. _Who threw you away?_

Emma refrained from snapping back. _You don't care about her. You know how this ends. Finish up and you'll never see her again._ "I need the details of thi–"

Static erupted from her radio. "Swan."

"Neal?"

"Swan, we've got company!"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: _While I agree that under normal circumstances, Emma would be a bit more professional with a mark, here's how I figure it. When you have a witness or anyone really who has a gun pointed at them (literally or figuratively) you try to keep them calm. You banter. You relax. You aren't rigid and professional. Add in to that the fact that Regina and Emma once had a deeply personal relationship that seemingly ended very badly, and you might as well throw professionalism out the window. _

_We are going to see a bit of how that relationship ended, from Emma's point of view. Keep in mind it's a memory. :) The good stuff is coming soon!_

_I am leaving on Sunday for a week to go see my pretty girlfriend ;) so it might be a little while before I get another update up. We'll see how busy we get. Enjoy!_

* * *

_Shit_.

She'd actually thought they might have a clean ride. They were halfway through New Jersey, how had they been found?

A revving engine pulled her attention to the rearview, and then the passenger side mirror. A blue Dodge Dart was gaining on them. Sunlight glinted off of the muzzle of a gun.

Neal pulled up in the lane next to her. The radio came alive. "What's the plan, boss?"

"Skate the cones," she said. Evasive action first. If they could shake the Dodge it would cause a lot less damage. "Then when you get clear pull the circle."

"Roger that."

Crisscrossing over each other's paths, slowing down and speeding up intermittently, and jumping lanes is what she called skating the cones, and it was a trademark of Swan and Cassidy. It was hard to outrun a gunner, but easy to confuse them. Whoever didn't have the mark would take an exit and circle back around, getting in behind the gunner and taking him out. Some well-timed shots would take care of the problem with the fewest casualties.

"You okay?" she called back. With a slight turn she slid into the lane behind Neal. "We're going to get jerky here, so hold on."

Regina didn't respond.

Emma looked over her shoulder. The brunette was clawing the upholstery, her face white. "Regina, are you okay?"

"Not particularly."

"Neal and I have done this a thousand times. We'll lose them." Emma said it with much more certainty than she felt. She checked the progress of the Dodge again, they were getting closer. "If you hear gun shots, get down."

"Get down?"

"Lie on the seat."

As if on cue, the back window cracked as a bullet connected.

"Now!" She grabbed the radio as she swerved across lanes of traffic. Gun shots kept going off behind her. "Neal, I've got shots. Let's get going!"

Emma grabbed her gun and clicked off the safety. Gunfire continued to ring behind her and the car beside them veered into their lane, clipping the backend of the Suburban. The driver had been hit. Emma fought to control the SUV. It threatened to tip, ending their crusade quickly. But she compensated and hit the gas.

"Emma!" Regina called out. She'd sat back up. "People are going to die!"

"I got that, thanks! Now get the hell down or I swear to god, Regina," Emma snapped. The Dodge had caught up to them. She put her window down as they pulled alongside and fired three warning shots to shake them up. Neal was nowhere to be seen. She pushed the SUV to 120 miles an hour as their pursuers returned fire. The back side windows cracked.

Police sirens blared behind her and Emma frowned. This could only complicate things, especially if they cut Neal off. The Dodge followed her closely as she pushed the car faster, skirting in and out of cars.

_Pop._

_Pop. Pop._

The back window shattered.

"Fuckers!" She returned the favor angrily, emptying her hand gun and demolishing their windshield. Exactly what they wanted her to do. A grin of satisfaction at taking out one of them faded with dread when she saw what was mounted between the front seats. "Oh shit."

There was a military issue machine gun nestled there, with someone in the backseat loading it up. With the windshield gone, it was free to fire.

"Where the hell is Neal?!" If they police had blocked him, she was screwed. She took one last look at the woman behind her. Regina's eyes met her eyes and all she saw was trust. With determination, she veered dangerously as the first volley went off. The sound of sheet metal being torn to shreds made her wince and she checked behind her again to make sure Regina wasn't hurt.

"Would you pay attention to the road?"

Then she heard return fire and her eyes snapped to the rearview. The blue Dodge flew off into the dividing wall, wrecking with a fiery explosion that would leave the turnpike at a standstill for hours. She almost laughed. Neal pulled up next to her with a thumbs up and they continued to speed away from the crime scene.

"See Regina, I told you." Emma smirked. They had put sufficient distance between themselves and the exploding car wreck. "Regina?"

The brunette was out cold from shock, stretched across the seat, still holding on for dear life.

* * *

_Emma tossed back another shot of whiskey. The fire in her throat felt good. She slammed the glass on the bar and asked for another._

"_Take it easy, Tiger," her partner commented. This was their first night off in over a month._

_She gave him a look. "August, you have much to learn about me still. Number one, I can hold my alcohol better than a redneck."_

_Graham had actually pulled through and gotten her a job. A real job, with the US Marshals. She was stationed in the middle of New York City and the lowest of the low, but she was a Marshal._

"_You wanna talk about it?"_

"_There's nothing to talk about. I didn't fit into her life."_

"_There has to be more to it than that."_

"_Not really," Emma said. But after a few more shots, she was baring her soul to him._

* * *

_She'd knocked twice and now stood shuffling her feet in front of a door that she used to have a key too. Cora had changed the locks when she'd returned and found "riff raff" in her house. Emma hadn't liked Regina's mother from the get-go, but she had tolerated the woman for Regina's sake. Now she was ready to give her a piece of her mind. But first, it was date night. Her arms were loaded with junk food and movies. They were going to spend time together. Regina was not blowing her off tonight._

_Before the door was even opened properly, she was barging in, loudly proclaiming her intentions._

"_Em–"_

"_I figured we could start with Karate Kid, order some pizza halfway through," she ignored the protest._

"_Emma."_

"_Then we'll eat and I thought–"_

"_Emma!"_

_They yell was harsh, startling. She stopped, heart pounding in her chest as she waited for the inevitable words to fall from Regina's lips. Lips that she missed kissing._

"_Tonight isn't a good night."_

"_It never is," Emma spat bitterly._

"_That's not true," but Regina was nervous, unsure. She knew it was true._

"_When was the last time we hung out?"_

_Regina bit her lip._

"_Do you know how many times I've been riding alone?" This had been a long time in the making. "It's been over a month, Regina."_

"_Emma, I'm sorry, I have a lot of work to do."_

"_So you can spend four hours a day with a horse, but I don't get a glance? Not even a smile?" Emma had watched every training session, waiting for Regina to come over to her afterwards. After a week, she'd only been hoping for a hello. Three weeks later all she'd wanted was a look._

"_You know I'm -"_

"_Save it. Whatever your excuse is this time. Just forget it." Emma dropped the snacks and movies onto the floor. "I'm done."_

"_Emma."_

_There was genuine hurt in Regina's voice._

"_Please."_

"_Where do I fit into your life, Regina?" she asked with a steady glare before turning and walking out the door that had never really been open._

* * *

_She climbed the oak tree quietly, slipping onto the upper balcony with practiced ease. Remaining in the shadows, Emma inched her way to the open doors that would give her access to Regina's room. Curtains blew in and out with the breeze. She'd been banned from the stable grounds, most likely due to Cora, and Regina hadn't said a word to her for two days. She was done playing games. She was going to fight one last time. But as she neared, she heard raised voices and held her ground._

"_Mother!" That was Regina. "You can't ban her from the stables. They are public!"_

_A harsher, colder voice responded. Cora. "I will not have her near you. She has ruined your focus, your drive. She pulled you away from your studies. Brown, Harvard, Yale, they all have excellent programs and you are just throwing them away for some silly friend. You will thrive there. Your life could be everything we've imagined."_

"_But Mother. I want to ride."_

"_We'll move Rocinante there with you. You'll be able to keep up your training schedule."_

"_Yes, Mother."_

"_And speaking of your silly friend. I have heard the most awful rumors about you. I will not have those lies spread about my daughter."_

"_What rumors?"_

"_You having a relationship with that tramp. Kissing in public. You being in love with her. I was appalled. I know my daughter would never -"_

"_We weren't! We didn't. Mother, they are just rumors. She's just a friend," Regina said._

"_And you don't love her?"_

"_Of course not, Mother. Don't be silly."_

"_Good girl. Love is weakness, Regina. It will only hold you back."_

_Emma clamped her hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out and backed away slowly. The doors to the room were slammed shut. Emma all but fell down the oak tree in her haste to get away from the mansion. Now she realized why she'd been phased out of Regina's life. She was holding her back. And Regina had played her for a fool._

_Ruby disagreed. When Emma returned, she tried everything to calm the blonde down. "Emma, you should talk to her. Maybe you heard the wrong thing, or you didn't hear it all."_

"_Rubes, she has money, power, an education. I have nothing. I'm a street rat. I can't offer her anything. She doesn't want my life."_

"_She's seemed pretty content for the past two years."_

_Emma shook her head. "I'm leaving. Tonight."_

"_Something else happened." It clicked, Emma knew all of this about Regina before._

_Emma stopped throwing articles of clothing into her duffle bag. The sobs took over, and she collapsed onto the floor. "She played me."_

"_What?"_

"_She doesn't love me."_

"_Emma, how can you say that?"_

"_Because she did."_

_Ruby stared back at her, jaw slack._

"_She told her mom-"_

"_Regina loves you and everyone knows it. Her mom is crazy. She was–"_

"_She said it! Ruby, she said it. And even if she lied to her mom, where does that leave us? She won't even fight for me," Emma returned to packing with a vengeance, zipping the bag hastily. "I'm leaving."_

"_Where are you going?"_

_They headed down the stairs quietly, for fear of waking Ruby's grandmother, who owned both the Bed and Breakfast and the Diner. "I don't know."_

_Ruby recognized Emma's pain. She knew why she was running. She could never escape it in Storybrooke. Not with the Mills' constant presence. _

"_I didn't know I was coming here until I did. So I guess I'll see where I run out of gas."_

_When they hit the curb, Ruby gasped. The tires were slashed. The windshield was smashed in. "Oh hell no."_

_Regina stepped out of the alley. "Emma."_

"_Did you do this?!" Emma stared in shock between Regina and her beloved Bug._

"_I had to."_

"_Really?" Emma grabbed Regina's arm and dragged her into the alley, pinning her to the wall. _

"_Everything is falling apart. I had to fix it."_

"_I was leaving town! Everything would have been fixed! Why couldn't you just leave it alone?"_

"_I'm sorry. I was just…"_

"_You destroyed my car!"_

"_I didn't – I just –"_

"_You did! Regina, what the hell!" She adjusted her grip, forcing her arm against Regina's neck._

"_Ruby texted me. She said – she said you were leaving. I didn't know how else to stop you."_

"_So now you care?"_

"_Can we please talk?"_

"_And now you want to talk? You've said plenty today." Emma was shaking with anger. She let Regina go, putting distance between them. "I want to know why, but maybe I don't need answers. Maybe I just need to punch you in the face."_

"_What?"_

"_You know, they were right. All those foster parents. Fairytales don't come true. Happily ever after doesn't exist. So cut the crap and grow up, Regina."_

"_What? Why are you leaving?"_

"_Because," Emma turned and looked her square in the eye. "I don't love you."_

"_I don't believe you," Regina said as she tried to choke back a sob. "I don't."_

_Emma stared at her. Pathetic. "You should."_

"_Can we please talk?"_

"_Fine. Tomorrow. Be at the Diner at 8 am."_

* * *

_She tossed Billy the keys to the beat up Bug. He'd given her five hundred bucks for scrap. "Thanks Billy. I owe you. Take care of Ruby for me?"_

"_You bet, Emma. I'm sorry to see you go. Good luck."_

_She smiled. She would miss Storybrooke. The 11:30 bus would take her as far as Boston. She'd figure the rest out from there. She'd be miles away by the time Regina walked into the Diner at 8 the next morning. They had nothing left to talk about. They had nothing left. _

_She would disappear, and Regina would forget about her soon enough. Regina would live that high class life and get that law degree. And Emma would watch from afar and wonder what they could have had if Regina had ever truly been able to love her._

_With one last glance towards the Mills' Mansion, she stepped onto the bus. Ruby would tell Regina whatever she wanted to the next morning. And Regina would hate her for leaving. It was for the best. If Regina hated her, she could move on. She could get over the fact that Emma left her without a word._

* * *

"Hey champ," Emma smiled when Regina finally stirred. "You were out for a while."

Regina shook her head. "Where am I?"

"Hotel just over the Ohio state line," Emma said. "We lost them."

When she realized she was lying in a bed, Regina bolted upright. "What happened?"

"Easy there, Tiger," Emma laughed. "You passed out from excitement. Neal carried you in." Actually, Emma had carried her in, but she felt it best to not disclose that. "There's pizza over there on the counter. I know it's not exactly your thing, but it's what we could manage."

"Uh, thanks."

"We're bunking together. Neal is next door. Knock the SOS code if you need him, on the wall."

"Where are you going?" Regina watched Emma pull on her boots. Her hair was darker, damp. She could smell soap. "Did you shower?"

"Yes, and I'm running out to the Suburban to grab our stuff. It took a lot of damage. They are switching it out for us tonight and I don't want to lose anything. I'll be right back."

* * *

.

.

.

_A/N: Keep in mind the memory is from Emma in a rather drunken state. It's not going to be the most eloquent or "true" description of what happened. Maybe we'll see Regina's take on those events soon?_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: _So I know that I said that I probably wouldn't update again until after I got back from my vacation, but I had a few hours before work yesterday and cranked this out._

_I know some of you were unhappy where I left off in the last chapter ;) but you're going to hate me for this cliffhanger._

_Thank you to everyone who is reviewing, if I haven't gotten back to you I apologize. I only have internet at work and so sometimes I don't get to them all, but I'm trying! Keep sending them in, they keep me going and wanting to finish. _

_Now, I'm off on vacation for sure and I'll try to have a chapter ready when I get back. Hopefully the week's wait won't kill you._

_Enjoy and drop me a line!_

* * *

Regina paced. Her piece of pizza remained half eaten on the lid of the box. The uncivilized morons had forgotten to get plates, not that she could eat regardless. She assumed they were in a motel of some sort, just off of the high way, by the state of the room. It wasn't particularly downtrodden but it screamed low class. It wasn't a place she would have chosen to stay in, even if her life depended on it. But the choice was apparently not hers to make. Everything was beige. Even the furniture. The sheets were scratchy, and she had already pulled them off the bed to check for bugs.

Finding none, she checked the bathroom. All clear.

Emma had been gone for half an hour. It seemed like a long time for someone who just had to grab a couple bags. And thus, she was pacing. A knot of fear was growing in the pit of her stomach, she was sure that something was wrong.

There was click and the door handle turned. Regina panicked, ready to run for the wall to knock the Morse code for Neal to save her. A blonde head appeared. "Emma!"

She looked up, "Hey."

"What took you so long?" an unintended bitter edge caught her words.

"Whoa," Emma dragged the bags in behind her. "Calm down. These things are heavy, okay? And I had to make sure we didn't leave anything identifying in the car. My forte is not in detailing, so it took me a little while."

Regina huffed.

"Why, did you miss me?" Emma winked. _Dangerous waters, Swan._

"No," Regina said sharply. Her arms immediately crossed. "You're my protector and you were absent. I just didn't feel safe. Especially after you almost got me killed earlier."

Emma watched her curiously. "You're lying. You did miss me. You weren't afraid for yourself, you were afraid for me. That's sweet, Regina."

She'd walked forward as she'd spoken. Regina had taken a few steps back. "You're full of shit."

Emma laughed. "Yeah, I know. But I almost had you. And I did not almost get you killed, I saved your life. You should say, 'Thank you, Emma' at least."

A beat of silence.

"Thank you, Emma."

They stared at each other in shock. Emma hadn't actually meant Regina had to say it. And the look on Regina's face told her that Regina hadn't necessarily meant to say it either. The air grew uncomfortable around them. Regina diverted her gaze. Emma could see the tension, the conflict. She gave her an out. "No need to be patronizing."

Regina looked back up and took Emma's offer. "Why not? It's my specialty."

Emma rolled her eyes. "Are you finishing your pizza?"

They both looked at the greasy glob of cheese on the box. The brunette shook her head.

"We'll try for Subway or something a little more healthy tomorrow," Emma said, a yawn escaping her mouth at the end. "But I'm exhausted. I didn't get a nap earlier like someone else, so I'm going to crash. Feel free to join me whenever you'd like."

There was only one bed in the room.

Regina, completely off guard at Emma's nonchalance, opted to take a shower. It was surreal. _Did Emma really expect her to get in bed with her? After their past? Years of unanswered questions?_

When she re-emerged, toweling the last bit of water from her hair, Emma was fast asleep. She stared, chewing her lip, contemplating what to do. The blonde looked so at peace; the lines of hard work and exhaustion and worry were fading quickly away. Regina couldn't quite place it. There was something familiar about that look. Something subtle. Her head tilted as she watched Emma's chest rise and fall. She longed to run her fingers through the curls that had spread over the pillow. And then she got it in a blinding memory of a movie night, a sleep over, a first time. When Emma had finally released her childhood secrets to Regina in the dark, the light from the television illuminating her face as the walls fell down. Vulnerability.

Regina shut the bathroom door. Emma rolled over. The room was dark. She took a steadying breath before lowering herself onto the bed, lying still so she wouldn't wake Emma.

Her body began to relax as the minutes wore on. Sleep claimed her eyelids once more. As they began to flutter, she heard a soft moan from Emma. She felt the bed shift as the blonde rolled over again. Her arm landed over Regina's waist and pulled her closer. Regina froze, holding her breath, waiting for Emma to wake up. But she didn't.

"Emma?" she breathed.

She heard a murmur in response, but couldn't decipher what the blonde said or if she was actually saying it to her. So she let herself relax into Emma's protective hold, remembering exactly what she'd been missing for the last ten years. She heard more murmurs before falling asleep. And she swore one of them was "I love you."

* * *

_Waves crashed against the base of a cliff Regina had never seen before. She'd spent her entire life in Storybrooke and Emma had still managed to find places that she never knew existed. The blonde was tying up the horses by the __woods behind her. She peered over the edge of the cliff. It looked like it was a long way down. She turned back around to see Emma stripping off her sweatshirt and jeans. "What are you doing?"_

"_We're going cliff diving," Emma called back, laughing at the terror that appeared on Regina's face._

"_I most certainly am not." She turned to look back down at the ocean._

"_You are. You made me go horseback riding and look, now I'm a pro. I could take you and Rocinante on in the Olympic trials any day," Emma wrapped her arms around Regina's waist and rested her chin on her shoulder. "You'll be fine."_

"_Can't we just stay like this?" Regina leaned her head back as Emma's lips found her neck._

"_No," Emma whispered against her pulse. "But I'll go first if you promise to follow me."_

_Regina groaned. "Please?"_

_Emma let go of her. "No."_

_She turned, pouting._

"_Do you trust me?"_

_Regina stopped pouting. No one had ever asked her that before. She looked at Emma and nodded. "Yes."_

"_Then follow me."_

_The crazy thing was, she did trust Emma. With every nerve and muscle in her body. She would follow Emma to the ends of the Earth. "I promise."_

_Emma waited for Regina to strip out of her heavier layers. It was mid-April in Maine. The water wasn't much warmer than 40__. If they went in with their clothes on, they'd probably catch the flu on the ride home._

"_Ready?" Regina nodded._

_Emma backed up a few steps before running and launching herself off the cliff. Regina watched her fall, her back arched, her arms coming together over her head just as she sliced through the waves. The perfect swan dive. _

_She scanned the water, looking for her to emerge. Waves kept rolling in, breaking at the base of the cliff. When Emma's head popped up, she let go of the breath she was holding._

"_Come on, Regina!" the call actually made it to her ears._

"_Shit," Regina cursed. But she promised Emma that she would follow. With all the grace her fear would allow her, she threw herself into the water._

_Her blood turned to ice and the breath left her lungs when she hit, though it took her nervous system a few seconds to catch up. Adrenaline pushed her up, but a wave crashed over her head, flipping her over and disorienting her. Another wave rolled in, flipping her again. She didn't know which direction was which. She lashed out, arms and legs flailing. She was going to drown._

_A pair of arms grabbed her around the ribs and pulled her to the surface, away from the spraying foam. They held her close as she filled her lungs with oxygen._

"_I guess I should have warned you about the tide," Emma laughed._

"_I could have died!" Regina wrenched away from Emma's grasp._

"_No you couldn't have. I would have saved you, I'll always save you," the blonde said. "I thought you trusted me."_

"_I – I do."_

"_See," Emma got that playful smirk on her face that Regina couldn't resist. "Admit that it was fun."_

_Regina settled for splashing Emma. "No."_

"_Come on, we have to climb back up." Emma led the way back to the cliff, around to the side where the waves weren't as rough and they could easily find purchase to climb._

"_I'm not doing that again."_

"_Liar."_

* * *

_The water was warmer, in June, but the waves were rougher. She insisted on staying back while Emma entertained herself by imitating a suicidal lemming. Instead, she sat on the edge of the cliff and watched Emma dive._

"_You should join the Olympic diving team," she teased between jumps._

"_We could go together, you jumping and me diving," had been the lighthearted response. "I'm sure Rocinante wouldn't mind if you watched me dive for a little bit, right Roc?_

_The horse ignored her, happily munching on grass. Rocinante was well trained, so they didn't have to tie her up to keep her from wandering off._

_It was her dream to join the Olympic eventing team. She'd just barely missed the final cut last time. The trials were less than a year away and they were improving every day. She'd opted out of an advanced degree to concentrate on training despite getting into every law school her mother had made her apply for. She wanted that medal._

_She watched Emma pull off another perfect swan dive, waiting for her to reappear so that she could applaud. But she never did._

"_Emma!" she screamed, getting to her feet._

_Her heart raced. She frantically scanned the waves, but there was no sign of her._

"_Emma!"_

_She ran along the edge of the cliffs until they began to slope down towards the beach. Rocinante had picked up on her distress and followed her. Something washed up on the shore. Regina grabbed her horse and swung onto her back. "Go, Roci, go."_

_They kicked up sand behind them and Regina slid off her back when they neared the body._

"_Emma?" She didn't move. Regina turned her over and brushed the sand from her face. "Emma, wake up."_

_She slapped her a few times._

"_Come on, Em." She didn't hear breathing. "Emma!"_

_Tears were clouding her eyes as she pressed down on Emma's chest. "Please, please, please."_

_She pinched Emma's nose and breathed into her mouth. Five more compressions, another breath. "Emma." Her words were hardly more than whispers. Tears trailed down her face. "Don't leave me."_

_Five more compressions, another breath._

_A cough. Water erupted from Emma's lungs as she coughed it up. Her eyes fluttered open._

"_Oh thank the gods," Regina's arms flew around Emma's neck as she hugged her. "You idiot!"_

"_Regina, let go," Emma continued to cough. "I can't breathe."_

_Regina retreated. "You fucking idiot."_

_Once Emma recovered, she turned to look at the brunette. "The riptide got me. You saved my life."_

_She broke down in sobs, pulling her knees to her chest._

"_Hey, hey," Emma pulled herself up and scooted over to wrap herself around Regina. "Shh, it's okay. I'm okay."_

"_I thought you were dead!" Regina snapped. "You idiot! I thought you left me here alone! I thought you died!"_

"_I'm right here. Calm down."_

"_I love you," Regina cried into her neck. "I love you."_

_Emma pulled back enough to tip Regina's chin up. "What?"_

_Her eyes were red from salt and sand and tears. She looked Emma square in the face. "You don't get to die. You don't get to leave me here alone."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because I love you!"_

_Emma smiled, "I love you too."_

* * *

"Regina! We have to go!" The motel room door was thrown open, startling her from dressing. She had one leg in a pair of jeans. Emma was already dressed, her hair pulled back in a ponytail. Regina quickly stuffed her other leg in and pulled them up, hopping a bit to get them over her ass. It had been a while since she'd worn them, power suits were the only thing her life required. The bags were missing. Emma looked worried.

"What's going on?"

"They found us. We have to go."

She didn't even know what the outside of the motel looked like, they stuffed her into one of the SUVs with such little ceremony she almost felt it was an injustice. But outside, they bickered.

"Neal, take Regina."

"What?"

"Neal. Take her. Don't let anything happen to her."

"She's not a toy, Emma. She's a client and you're the best–"

"Neal!"

"Why is she so important to you? And if she is, why don't you take her?"

"Because they'll think that she's with me. Please Neal. You have to keep her safe."

"Emma, why is sh–"

"We don't have time for this Neal! Just go!" Emma climbed into the other SUV. Neal shook his head, but headed around to get into the one containing Regina.

"Well, Ms. Mills," he said it so formally she almost laughed. "Looks like you're with me today."

"As long as we get there in one piece, I don't think it really matters." She couldn't help but be a little disappointed.

Emma had pulled out before she was done speaking, and as she hit the road gunfire ran out from a side alley. Neal watched her take off, but no one followed. He decided to wait, hand ready to turn the key at a moment's notice. Eventually, he saw someone pull out of the back alley and head off after Emma.

"What are you doing?" Regina hissed.

"Figuring out their ploy," he said, waving at her to be quiet.

"She's going to get killed."

"You're really bad at this, aren't you?" He looked back at her like she was stupid. "Emma will be fine. She's the best I know."

Regina heard a sort of desire and longing in his voice. Perhaps there was more to Emma and Neal than Emma had let on.

After another five more minutes, another car pulled out. "Look, they were decoys. If we'd tried to leave they would have picked us off. Now we have them."

"Do not let her die, Mr. Cassidy."

"Sorry, sweetheart. It's you I have to worry about." He turned on the SUV and followed Emma's lead, heading west and a little bit south towards Kentucky. They were following the prescribed route towards their Colorado destination, and a little detour around the Midwest was apparently a brilliant idea.

After an hour and a half, Neal caught Regina's attention. "Look."

One of their adversaries had been pulled over and was receiving what looked like a speeding ticket. Neal laughed. "In the movies you would think police didn't exist."

"I don't watch many movies, so I'll take your word on that," Regina mussed.

"Funny," Neal commented. "Neither does Emma."

Regina forced her face to remain neutral.

"So how do you two know each other?"

"Excuse me?" She would play the game. If Emma hadn't told him, neither would she.

"She's very protective of you, defensive. She's never been that way with a mark before. So what is it about you?"

"I don't know, Marshal. Maybe I remind her of someone from her past that she abandoned."

"Speaking of the devil, there she is." He ignored her comment, tracking Emma's progress. They were headed towards the Brent Spence Bridge, crossing the Ohio River. "She's in trouble."

* * *

The fire fight had followed her for an hour, but now they were determined. All of her windows were blown out. She was zigzagging through traffic haphazardly. It was to the point where she couldn't see straight anymore.

"Shit!" She'd overcorrected. At the speed she was going, the car spun and she managed to throw the car into reverse. Now she was driving backwards. And her door flung open. Startled, she pressed the pedal to the floor. The truck in the lane next to her took the door off its hinges.

"And now I'm driving the Jeep," she chuckled.

Her pursuers continued to shoot. Swerving, she looked up and saw Neal coming up behind the assholes chasing her down. He was catching up.

"No." She was not going to let them catch Regina. The water to her left sparkled a brilliant grey blue. It was probably disgusting, but it only took her a second to make up her mind. They thought Regina was with her. She could end this right now.

Wrapping her arm around the empty door frame, she emptied her gun for the second time into the car gunning her down. Mostly it was a distraction. She hit another car, spinning the SUV again and threw it in drive.

The concrete cracked easily as she rammed into it, and the SUV dropped into the Ohio River.

* * *

"Emma!" Regina screamed, throwing herself forward against the seats as if she could get to the SUV and pull it back.

Neal watched in shock as his partner drove off the side of a bridge.

It happened in slow motion. The SUV took days to fall. The splash rose for hours before collapsing in a second as the water swallowed it. And Emma was gone.

"No."

There was no way she'd survived it.

Regina had fallen back in her seat, frozen in shock, tears streaming down her face that she didn't even know were there.

Neal managed to shake himself out of it and keep moving with traffic. As they passed, men got out of the car that had pushed Emma to drive off the bridge. Neal could see their faces, he was close enough that a couple shots eould send them over as well. But he forced himself to keep driving. They kicked around the rubble, searching over the edge for a sign of Emma's body. And for Regina's.

They had believed that Regina would be with Emma. That he was a decoy.

"Give me your gun," Regina said, reaching for it as she stared down the men, looking for a familiar face. "Jaime. I'll kill that bastard."

"What?"

"We have to go back for her!" Regina went for the door when she couldn't get the gun, her exclamation more of a cover up for the name she'd accidentally spoken. Neal hit the child safety locks. "What are you doing?"

"Sit down!"

Regina did.

"Emma just saved your life!" he barked. "They think you're swimming with the fish too. They are going to empty that machine gun in the back seat into the water to make sure of it! Emma knew that, she knew what she was doing. Now shut up!"

"She can't be dead, Neal. She can't."

"If she's not yet, she will be." Neal said it with grave certainty and watched Regina's face in the rearview. Nothing made sense about this client. "First, you're going to tell me how you know her, right now."

"We were friends," Regina said with a sigh. "A long time ago. She was my closest friend. We weren't much more than kids." Admitting exactly what Emma was would be too hard. "I never thought I'd see her again. Life just pulled us apart."

"Emma did her job. Now help me do mine," Neal said.

"What?"

"You want to honor her?" he asked. "Then you're going to tell me exactly what you did that has them wanting you dead. Every detail."

"I already told Emma–"

"How do you know his name?!" He cut her off.

Her face blanched. "I don't know what you mean."

"You know them, don't you?" Neal snapped. He watched her face twist as she tried to find an angle to play. "You were one of them, weren't you?"

Regina stared at him.

"Answer me, before I give you back to them for wasting my time and killing my partner."

Regina closed her eyes. Emma had been blinded by her emotions. Her super power hadn't worked. But Neal had picked up on her mistake. Her familiarity. She opened her eyes, and met Neal's gaze.

"Yes."


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: _Hi guys! Thanks for waiting patiently, or impatiently ;) I'm sorry that this took so long. I didn't get much done on my vacation. This chapter was a bitch to write. It did not like me very much and took me over two days to write. But! it's finally here! Thanks for hanging out. I have the entire day on Thursday (which may or may not be today) free. I will be stuck at home with no car, so I hope to get chapter 8 done and posted by the weekend. _

_Enjoy :)_

* * *

"Well?"

"If they weren't dead before, they are now," Jaime smirked, slinging the emptied machine gun over his shoulder. He hadn't sighted blonde nor brunette hair, but seatbelts could easily be holding the women inside the sinking vehicle. The current was too strong for blood to surface. He still didn't know why the Marshal had driven off the bridge, but he wasn't lamenting the fact that she'd made his job a hundred times easier. Finding the motel that his mark and her body guards had taken refuge in had taken most of the previous night. He was tired.

Jet, his partner, kicked a large chunk of rubble over the edge of the bridge. At Jaime's slightly incredulous look he shrugged, "For good measure."

"Come on," Jaime ran a hand through his golden blonde hair. It was getting a bit too shaggy for his liking. "We have to get out of here. Gold has a chopper waiting for us. If we're still here when the cops show he'll have our heads."

* * *

"My men say she's dead. Is she?" he hissed into the phone.

David kept his voice calm. "Cassidy just called it in. She's dead." He prayed that it was a lie, a smoke and mirrors trick. Emma was his best Marshal. He did this to her. She should have been on vacation and he'd sent her on her last assignment.

"Your secret lives untold another day, Sarge," Gold spat.

"We're done," David growled back at the self-satisfied voice. "You got your favor."

"So angry, David."

"You told me my Marshals wouldn't get hurt," he said through gritted teeth.

"Your Marshal drove herself off of a bridge, Sergeant Nolan. What should I have done, used magic to spare her life?" Gold mocked him. "Your Marshal did her job honorably, you should be proud. She'll be a martyr."

"She was a good cop."

"And her legacy will live on."

"I don't want to hear from you again."

"No one will ever find out about your little weapons smuggling business, if that's what you mean. Unless you're lying to me, David. In which case I will end you all."

"Gold!" David yelled but the line was dead. The mistake he'd made when he let Ken Gold take the rap for his criminal misconception all those years ago would haunt him for the rest of his life. Gold would see to that. And his best officer took the heat for it, for him. "Don't be dead, Emma. Please. I know you're better than that."

* * *

Neal was silent. The dark kind of silence. The angry kind of silence. Where secrets hide around corners and monsters lurk in shadows. Where every hair on your body stands on end. Where fear is inspired. The silence of every nightmare you've ever had. The kind of silence that makes you wonder if you're going to get out alive.

It was the most comfortable Regina had been since this ordeal started. She stared blankly ahead, calm. Her head was clear, her heart rate normal. The anxiety was gone. Tears rolled down her cheeks regularly, dripping into open palms resting her in lap. He hadn't asked her any further questions and she hadn't volunteered any further information. He hadn't even looked at her. When the radio crackled to life and he told their commanding officer Emma's fate, he hadn't even mentioned Regina. It was as if she had ceased to exist to him.

She had finally found Emma only to lose her again, this time permanently. After ten years of searching, Emma was gone just like that. And she still hadn't seen it coming. Last time, Emma had left her in the middle of the night with no explanation after a month of misunderstandings. She was always a hot head. Regina had drummed dents into their table at the diner for two hours before she let herself believe that Emma wasn't coming. She had gotten there at 7:50 when Emma had told her 8. Her lungs had filled with rocks with every person that came and went. Her stomach twisted further every time someone came down the stairs from the rooms above. She had watched as the cinnamon and whipped cream on top of the hot chocolate that she'd ordered for her girlfriend slowly sunk.

Ruby had finally come over and sat opposite her, told her that Emma left the night before. She told her that Emma had nothing left to say to her. She told her that Emma had refused to be abandoned again. She asked Regina if she loved Emma. The question had taken Regina aback, but she had responded affirmatively. Ruby had looked at her strangely and told her that maybe she should have proven that and not treated Emma like a commodity to be thrown away when she had no more use for her. And then Ruby had left.

The steam had stopped curling above the hot chocolate mug. Hesitantly, she had reached out to touch it.

Cold.

Just like she felt now. That had been betrayal. This was loss. There was no anger churning in her blood, as there had been ten years ago, only grief weighing down her heart.

"Why'd you do it?"

The question dragged her abruptly from her thoughts. "Excuse me?"

"Why? Why did you join some criminal syndicate? You're a respected lawyer." It was less accusation and more curiosity. _He was the good cop_.

"It was what my mother wanted," she shrugged. _Figures Emma would be the bad cop_. "I was involved with him before I became a lawyer."

"Who is he? Who's doing this to you?"

She sighed. Her secrets had only hurt her. They had gotten Emma killed. "Gold. Ken Gold. He smuggles drugs, weapons, women. Just about anything he can make a profit off of."

Neal almost slammed on the breaks. "You helped someone smuggle other women? And you were okay with that?"

"No."

"What made you turn state's evidence?"

"It's what I wanted to do," she said softly. "When I found out about the women, I couldn't do it anymore."

The stony silence returned. It started raining. Regina watched it roll down the windows. It suited the mood, that movie irony that you never expected in real life.

* * *

_Emma screeched as a rain drop fell on her forehead, running the last few steps to the porch. Regina rolled her eyes, stuffing her hands deeper into her pockets. Her boots clicked against the asphalt driveway. The Oldsmobile her mother insisted that she drive sat useless by the garage; her Benz behind it, ready to go. Mother was in England and what Mother didn't know wouldn't hurt her._

_"Come on, Regina," the blonde stomped her foot._

_"Are you afraid of a little water? Are you a witch, are you going to melt?" Regina teased, an arched eyebrow accompanying her smirk._

_Emma laughed, "That would be you."_

_"Really?" she climbed the steps. "Are you sure about that?"_

_Her hands slid inside of Emma's jacket, pushing her back against the front door. Their noses brushed. Emma's smile grew, "Yeah."_

_Regina lowered her lips to Emma's neck, gently sucking. "I think you may melt into a puddle."_

_Emma pushed her away. "Not that easy, Mills."_

_"Oh," Regina unlocked the door. "I beg to differ."_

_The girls stumbled into the house giggling. Normally, Emma could have let herself in, but Regina had replaced the locks earlier in the week and hadn't gotten Emma a key yet. Some young boys from the neighborhood had found it entertaining to break in. Regina shed her coat and reached out to take the leather jacket that Emma was taking off. Before she could close the closet door, Emma was wrapped around her again. "Thank you, Regina. You didn't have to."_

_"Anything for you."_

_She'd watched Emma eye that jacket for the previous two weeks. When they'd met up for birthday brunch at Granny's, Emma's choice, that day she had surprised her. "It's perfect."_

_"Fits you like a glove," Regina agreed, turning in her arms. "Happy Birthday."_

_Emma kissed her, tongue brushing against her lips so slightly it sent a shiver across her shoulders. Regina opened her mouth, breathing in Emma's gasp before their lips met again. Her hands had slipped underneath Emma's tank top, blue today, and her fingers were drawing lazy circles on the small of her back._

_Impatiently, the blonde's fingers slipped from Regina's neck to the buttons on her shirt. But Regina pulled away. "Oh no. You have to wait to get the rest of your present when we get upstairs."_

_Emma's face flushed and Regina grinned deviously. She sauntered up the stairs, looking back to make sure Emma was following. She almost laughed as she watched Emma stalk her._

_Settling the birthday girl on the bed, she turned back to lock the door and started humming a sultry tune that she couldn't remember hearing. Bending at the waist, she unzipped her boots and gave Emma a nice view of her ass. Emma licked her lips._

_"Thirsty dear?" Regina purred, straddling Emma's hips and rocking gently._

_"Can I touch now?" Emma reached for the buttons again._

_"If you must."_

_Emma quickly released each button, revealing a tight black and navy blue corset that dipped low to reveal as much cleavage as possible. Regina rolled her hips hard, arching her back._

_"You are –" Emma was cut off by Regina's lips on her neck. Her tank top was bunched around her breasts. Her fingers found the zipper of Regina's impossibly tight skirt._

_"What do you want, Emma?" Regina whispered as her hands slid under the blonde's bra to cup her breasts, pinching hard nipples._

_Emma growled, "Fuck me."_

* * *

She gasped for air as her head broke the surface of the water. The river had carried her far downstream. Her head throbbed where it had been slammed against a rock and she was fairly certain that she was bleeding. A quick survey of her surroundings put her a few yards from shore. Despite the protest in her muscles, she started swimming hard. Drowning was not an option, and it was almost a certainty if she stayed in the river much longer.

Kicking and using the rocks for leverage, Emma pulled herself closer to shore. The rocks were smooth and her hands slipped when she grabbed for them. Three yards away a current caught her, dragging her downstream and back underwater. A struggle brought her back to the surface, and a final lunge freed her.

Her feet touched the bottom and she crawled up the bank, pulling herself far from the reach of the water. The bridge, SUV, and gunmen were far away. So was Regina. She sprawled out in the grass, unaware of bugs or the grass snake that slid over her leg on its way to the forest behind her.

She was exhausted.

The wet clothes clung to her skin uncomfortably. Eventually, she found the strength to peel the red leather trademark jacket from her arms. It was tattered. A huge rip through the sleeve matched a graze wound on her upper left arm. She tossed it back into the river and watched it float away. With a sigh, she laid back down. The rain started falling as she closed her eyes.

* * *

_Regina bit her neck and heat rushed through her body. The rain fell harder; beating out a pattern on the window that was lost in gasps and moans. Regina ripped her tank top off, her bra followed. There were no special moves, just urgency. Emma pushed her off, and got to her feet to shimmy out of her jeans. Regina bit her lip seductively and Emma ripped the skirt over dark garters._

_When she struck a pose, Emma stopped for a second. Regina was always regal, but now she looked royal. Like a queen._

_"What?" the brunette asked, cocking an eyebrow._

_"You've changed," Emma said. And Regina had. When they'd met, Regina was happy, innocent, and gentle. Two years later she was harder, darker, still happy, but she had a more mature edge to her. "When did you change?"_

_Regina sat up, "Don't you like it?"_

_"It's very grown up," Emma watched the walls come up behind Regina's eyes._

_"I – thought it would be something new. I thought you would like it."_

_Emma slide onto the bed, hugging her girlfriend close and snuggling into her shoulder. "I do."_

_"Then what's the problem?"_

_"I never said there was a problem," Emma soothed. "I just wondered when you became a woman."_

_If it was possible, Regina blushed. A rarity._

_"So what's different?" the blonde asked, seriously._

_"You explain what you mean, and then I'll try to answer."_

_"You're edgier, darker. You aren't so carefree."_

_"I'm almost 25, Emma. I'm not fresh out of college anymore. I'm settling into my career," she said as Emma played with her cascading hair instead of looking at her._

_The blonde bit her lip, "I'm probably always going to be a kid."_

_Regina framed her face, "It keeps me stable."_

_Emma kissed her softly._

_"You grew up long before I did. It's been a long time since you were a kid. Remember when we met?"_

_"You were so lighthearted and innocent, I wanted that." Emma nodded, now playing with Regina's fingers._

_"And you were the edgy one, full of secrets, mature. Conscious of every decision that you made, but you were your own person. I was trapped. I still am. My mother controls everything I do." She pulled away, wrapping her arms tightly around herself._

_Emma looked up at her, "Is your mother controlling you now?"_

_Regina stood, walking away to stare out at the rain. "She's coming back, from England."_

_"When?" Dread and concern demanded entrance in Emma's mind._

_"Next week. I don't know what will happen. She isn't happy with me."_

_Emma stood and walked over to pull Regina's attention back to her. They had both known that it would end at some point, their fairytale life. Regina's mother's furlough in England couldn't last forever. They'd talked about it, and hoped against all hope that something would keep her away. "How long have you known?"_

_"About a month," Regina said softly. This time she refused to look at Emma. "I'm sorry."_

_"Hey," Emma tipped the brunette's chin up. "We'll figure it out. At least we still have one more free week."_

_Regina smiled sadly, "Thank you."_

* * *

Thunder rumbled.

Emma opened her eyes again. It was still light out, but the sun was setting. The rain had moved on, her clothes had begun to dry. Dirt matted her hair. As she sat up, every muscle in her body ached.

"Come on, Swan. How the hell are you going to get out of this one?"

The forest behind her looked thin, so she decided to chance it. After an hour, she walked into someone's back yard. Wandering around, ignoring the looks from the people of the backwater little town, she figured out where she was and found a payphone. Digging in her pockets, she was relieved to find her id holder. Not much of a wallet, it was big enough to carry id and some emergency cash. She was smart enough to carry change in it as well. The old number flew from her fingers and the phone rang.

And rang.

And rang.

And rang.

The answering machine picked up and she slammed the phone back on the hook. "Come on, damn you!"

She dialed again. It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

"Hello?"

Emma grinned. "Hey, Dany. It's Emma."

* * *

_A/N: You all wanted Emilia Clarke right? Oh and Costar-Waldau made his way in too (Jaime - I decided to keep their character names from GoT)._


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: _Quick update since you were all so patient in waiting for Chapter 7 :) We're going to find out a little bit more about Dany in this chapter and another familiar character will be making a cameo appearance. I'm excited! We're starting to pick up and get into the meat of this plot._

_Thanks to my editor, Janelle, and my girlfriend for whipping these chapters into shape. And my friend Bekah for falling in love with this plot and letting me know I'm on the right track._

_And a special thanks to all of you for reading! Enjoy! And send me a line or two :)_

* * *

"What did you manage to do this time?" Dany patted Emma's thigh.

Emma laughed, more of a choked snort, "You'll never guess."

"No?" Dany hmmed, turning onto a dirt road lined with trees. It was beautiful out in the middle of nowhere. "You didn't try to scale the dam again, did you?"

"Uh, no," Emma shook her head. Her eyes kept flicking over to study Dany's profile as the other woman thought and drove. It had been a while since she'd seen her. Her silver hair was pulled back in so many braids she didn't know where one ended and the next began. Her skin was darker, no doubt tanned from working outdoors. Dany's ranch was just being built when they had parted ways.

"It's not as simple as you fell off a fishing boat, is it?"

"Come on, Dany. Give me a little more credit than that."

"Okay, okay," she looked wistful. "You were tracking an enemy agent through the woods, he hit you on the head with a rock to knock you out, and left your useless body out in the thunderstorm after he stripped you of your jacket and proceeded down river."

"I'm not in the FBI," Emma stared at her in surprise.

"No, you're right, that's much too tame for you. Not enough flair." Dany kept driving, slowing down over a particularly rough patch. The fences would greet them first, the horses would follow. "Got it!"

"Well?"

"You drove the SUV off the bridge to fake the deaths of both yourself and the very pretty mark you're carrying from New York."

Emma shrugged, "So where is my mark?"

"You left her in Neal's custody. You faked both deaths in order to save her life because Neal couldn't resist getting involved and outrunning them wasn't working. After years of searching you finally stumbled into her again and you're both far too stubborn to admit fault to each other, even though she's the love of your life and you're probably hers."

Emma stared at her, jaw hanging open.

"You do your job well, Emma. You do whatever it takes. But she's the only person you would lay your life down for without orders."

"How did you…?" Emma ran a hand over her forehead, wincing when she brushed the open wound from her trek downriver.

"Because I know you."

"Oh get real, Dany."

She sighed. "ADA Regina Mills went missing after her most recent testimony landed a man behind bars. Hours after that testimony, a gun fight broke out in a nearby hotel where a witness said they saw a blonde woman protecting and escorting a brunette woman into a service elevator. A couple days later, an SUV was driven off the Brent Spence Bridge upper deck during a gun fight and several hours after that you call me out of the blue. I arrive in a back water town to find you dirty, wet, and injured. And on a mission. You have bullet wounds, your jacket is missing, and you smell like the river.

"I knew her name was Regina. She's the right age. You told me enough about her when we were together. And you wear your heart on your sleeve."

Dany had always been good at connecting the dots. It was why she'd been such a good cop, until she got tired of it.

Emma shot back, "You always told me that I didn't have a heart."

"That's because it wasn't mine, Em."

The Marshal nodded. The fences were rolling past and if she craned her neck she could see the horses roaming about near the stables. "So, how are you?"

"I'm fine," Dany pulled up to a ranch house. "I'm exactly where I wanted to be. Come on, Swanfire is waiting to see you."

"He's still here?" Emma asked, following Dany into the house. When offered a drink, she welcomed the taste of beer. Dany pointed her down the hall to her bedroom so she could strip out of the rather nasty clothes she had on. "Can I borrow?"

"No need," Dany said. "Top of the closet, on the right. It's all still there."

Emma looked around, comically spinning with jeans in hand, until she found the sliding door. Pushing it back and getting on her tiptoes, she felt around on the top shelf until her hand came in contact with a box. She pulled it down. Her name was scrawled across it in sharpie. "You still have all my stuff?"

"I figured you'd need it one day," came the response from down the hall. "Hurry up; I still need to fix up that wound on your arm, and your head."

Emma found a pair of jeans that were a little tight and a t-shirt. Quickly changing, she knelt back down to go through the box. A flurry of pictures lay under some other clothes. Her old cowboy boots and her hat were next. She laughed, picking them up. She sat the hat on her head and looked back down. The smile faded where she saw what occupied the bottom. Faded red met her eyes and Emma pulled out an old leather jacket. It was a little ragged; it had been worn healthily. Biting her lip, she slowly brought it up to her nose and breathed in. A grin crept back into her cheeks. She could still smell the perfume Regina had given her the Christmas before – Emma stopped herself.

"Em?" Dany knocked on the doorframe. "These need to be washed?"

Emma turned. "Oh, uh, yeah."

"Found your jacket," Dany noticed. "I couldn't believe you left it. But, when you leave in the middle of the night with no forwarding address…so I just kept it."

Emma's brow crunched in confusion. "I didn't leave you in the midd–"

"An expression, Emma. You left suddenly. It's kind of your thing."

She turned back to the jacket. "Regina bought this for me. For my twenty second birthday."

Dany leaned in the doorway; Emma's wet clothes bundled in her arms.

"It was the perfect gift," tears misted Emma's eyes. "She knew I couldn't afford it, you know? That was the last time we were happy. Her mom showed up a week later and–"

"I know, Em," Dany said softly. She turned to take the clothes to the washer. "That's why I couldn't believe you left it."

"Too many memories," Emma sighed, dropping the jacket back on the box. Pulling the boots on, she stood and checked herself in the mirror. Satisfied, she walked back out to the kitchen with her beer.

"Well, you look ready for the rodeo," Dany teased. "Too bad this isn't Texas."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're the one who made me buy this shit. Clean me up so I can go see my horse."

* * *

"_What do you want, from the future?" Emma asked as they lay in the grass staring at the clouds._

_Regina thought for a minute. "Well, I want to medal at the Olympics. And then I think, I want to go to law school at some point. I was good at that in school. I want success, at some point."_

_Emma was quiet, watching the clouds go by without another word._

"_Mother will be here tomorrow," Regina said softly. She rolled over, propping up on her elbows. "We might have to stop seeing each other, at least until she's settled – and not quite so upset with me anymore."_

"_Or, you could just tell her, and stop letting her control your life," Emma shrugged bitterly. "Either one."_

"_Emma."_

"_Don't Emma me. I'm serious. You can't keep letting her bulldoze you, Regina. I thought we said that we'd figure this out together."_

"_You have to let me deal with her first, Emma. Please," Regina implored. "You don't know her."_

"_But I know you. And I love you." Emma tilted her head back to briefly look at Regina before returning her gaze to the clouds._

_They remained silent for a little while. The breeze played whispering melodies through the trees at the edge of the field and the grass danced to it. _

"_What about you?" Regina finally asked to break up the tension. "What do you want from the future?"_

_Emma rolled over and sat up. Her eyes were closed in thought, like she was searching for an explanation. But she shook her head._

"_What?" Regina asked again, sitting up, confusion written in her eyes. "Emma, what do you want? It's a simple question."_

_Emma looked at her, puzzled, biting her lip. And then she said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Because it was. "You."_

_She left Regina sitting in the field._

* * *

"So how's Henry?" Dany asked as they walked through the barn. "Last time I saw him he was what – like three?"

"He's good, I haven't seen him in a while," Emma kicked at the hay on the ground as they walked.

"Is Neal keeping him from you?"

"No, no. We're just really busy. Tamara tries to bring him around the office when she can, but we haven't exactly been in the office," Emma explained. "But it's nice to be back in his life full time."

"And does Regina know about the son you share with your partner?"

"No, Dany. Why would she? You know how this ends. After this week I'll never see her again." Emma heard a familiar whinny. "Fire!"

A brown horse hung his head over the stall door and Emma ran the next few steps in excitement.

"You remember me, boy?" she reached out to pet him. "Look at you all grown up."

They talked about the horses and the ranch while Emma got reacquainted with her old horse.

"What is it?" Dany asked when it was obvious Emma was no longer paying attention to anything.

"You have a phone out here?" Emma asked.

"Yeah, need to call Neal?" Dany questioned.

"No, I think someone is selling us out. They keep finding us too easily. They might be tapping his radio so if I call they'll know we tricked them."

"No one knows where you're going though right? Except Sarge?"

"And August," Emma said. "It doesn't make any sense."

"You don't think it could be one of them? Would Sarge really do that to you?"

"He's like my dad. But, things don't add up."

"So who are you calling?" Dany let them out of the stall and led the way down to the tack room.

"Henry."

"And he'll relay your crazy code to Neal, smart," Dany laughed.

"They don't know Neal; they already proved they aren't after him. And no one will be watching his kid," Emma dialed Henry's emergency cell phone. "Hey kid."

"Hey Mom!"

Dany smiled as Emma's eyes lit up. Emma had always thought she'd be an awful mom. But it suited her just fine.

"Look, I need you to do something for me. Your dad and I were out on a mission and got separated. I need you to call him and tell him code for me okay?"

"Sure, Mom."

* * *

Neal's personal cell phone rang. When he picked it up, Henry's face greet him. He grinned and answered, "Hey Henry, what's up?"

"Mom called," was the response.

Neal almost drove off the road. When he righted himself, he took a quick glance in the rearview to make sure Regina was still asleep. "What do you mean? What did she say?"

"10-20 at Frank and Tom's. They offered 10-98, 10-85. The dog has Four legs, not three. His name is Sam and they found him at the Ocean. She also said to tell you that the exit was between Thomasville St and Williamstown Dr, not Ocean Ave."

He'd scrambled for a piece of paper and copied it down quickly. "When did mom call?"

"Like ten minutes ago. She said she'd be home soon."

"Okay," Neal thought. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, Dad. School was awesome today!" Henry told Neal about his day. When he was done, Neal pulled over to dissect the coded message that Emma had given him. His gut had unknotted while Henry talked and relief was coursing through him at the knowledge that Emma was safe and alive.

"Who were you on the phone with?" Regina sat up, wiping at her eyes.

"You were awake then?" Neal asked. "Our son. He was just giving me a message from his mom."

"_Our_?"

"Oh, sorry. Mine and Emma's," he answered absently.

Regina's eyes widened. "How old is he?"

"Eight," Neal bit down on the pen and pulled out a US map.

"And…how long have you and Emma been…you know?"

"Partners? About four years. At first she didn't think it would work, but we found each other again three years later and it just clicked for her," Neal answered, focused on his map. "She's great with Henry."

"Oh, I'm sure she is." Regina nodded. So, she had been too late. She'd never even stood a chance of getting Emma to open up again. Emma had a family. She had a son. Suddenly, Regina wondered what it would have felt like to raise a family with Emma, "Probably success."

"What?"

"Uh, nothing. Sorry. What are you doing?"

"Trying to figure out our next stop, I think we're going to backtrack a little bit, just to throw them off course if they are still following me." Neal rotated the map. "Emma did the navigating."

Regina sat back in the seat to let him work in silence. She'd known that there was a connection between Emma and Neal that ran deeper than that of co-workers, but she hadn't expected it to be quite that deep. She brushed it away, why did she care anymore? Emma was dead. Emma had died for her…leaving behind Neal and a son…

It was her fault.

"Neal," she leaned forward again, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Neal, I'm so sorry. It was my fault. Emma died because of me. And now your son won't have his mother. I'm so sorry."

Neal looked up at her, "Regina–"

"No, I'm – I can't imagine how you must feel. Anything –"

"Emma's fine."

"– can do to hel–" Regina retracted her hand. "What did you just say?"

He turned in the seat to look at her directly.

"Emma is alive."


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: _...*slinks back* Hi. I'm really sorry for the wait. My boss went on vacation and left me in charge of the store for two weeks and then one of the two other managers had his mother pass away so I was covering his shifts. Needless to say, I've worked 80 hours in the past week and have little time to do anything else more than sleep. But! I have it done now and my plan is to use the rest of my day off to write at least chapter 10, and get 11 and 12 done over the weekend. I leave in a week and a half for my internship, but no worries, I will have plenty of time to keep writing throughout the rest of the summer._

_This one didn't get the hardcore edit because my editor was on vacay, so pardon anything erroneous. Sorry again! Enjoy :)_

* * *

Neal watched Regina's face shift as she processed what he'd said. Shock had stunned her features briefly; then disbelief hardened her eyes and crunched her brow, drawing her lips down. Fear and relief battled like storm fronts, churning up tornadoes behind her eyes.

"I saw her, she drove off –" Regina stuttered, not willing to let herself believe that it could have been a hoax. "You told your boss."

"I thought she was too," Neal let a little sympathy creep into his voice. "I did. But she called Henry, our son."

"How?"

"I guess with a phone," Neal shrugged.

"No. I mean how did she survive?" Her eyes rapidly searched his face for answers that she knew he didn't have.

"She didn't say. Emma's an expert diver," he commented.

Regina paused, remembering crashing waves at the base of a rocky cliff. "I know."

"You know?" His eyebrows shot up.

"We used to cliff dive together. Well, she dove and I watched. She almost died once," Regina said sadly, staring at the back of the seat for a moment before shaking her head to clear it. "Why didn't she just call you?"

"I don't know that either, but she must think something is up to call Henry and give him a coded message. But you'll have to ask her how she pulled her Houdini off when we pick her up," Neal returned to his map, diligently decoding Emma's message.

"Knowing Emma, it'll be something crazy," Regina muttered.

Neal was quiet for a few minutes before updating her. "We'll have to backtrack a few hours."

"Of course," Regina rolled her eyes.

"Hey, they think you're dead. They think Emma is dead. So, we have all the time in the world," Neal quipped, putting the SUV in drive and pulling off the shoulder. "Speaking of dead, when I said Henry's mom called, did you think I was talking about Emma?"

"Y–" Regina stopped, wracking her brain. "I don't know. Did you say that?"

He nodded.

"You said 'our' son instead of 'my' son. I think I got stuck on that. I didn't know you were married."

"Did you need to know?"

"I'm a lawyer," she scoffed. "I need to know everything."

Neal laughed and they settled into another mostly comfortable silence until Regina decided she needed to know something else.

"So, uh, how long have you and Emma been married?"

"What!" Neal hit the horn accidentally, causing the driver in front of him to flip the bird. "Emma isn't my wife, though I'm flattered that you think so."

"You lost me."

"My wife's name is Tamara. Emma is just Henry's mother, biologically. You'll have to ask her for the whole story."

The gears started turning in Regina's head. "So she's not with anyone?"

"The few, and I mean very few, men that Emma was with didn't last very long. You were friends before, right?"

"Something like that."

"Then you know she's a lady lover. But she's been kind of a lone wolf ever since some chick broke her heart about a decade ago. She doesn't talk about it much."

* * *

"Positive you don't mind riding out there with me?" Emma prodded. She felt bad involving Dany in her mission. "We might be camping out for a while."

"I don't mind," Dany swung a saddle up onto Swanfire's back and left Emma to tighten the straps. "It'd be nice to talk a little more, I miss you sometimes."

"_Sometimes_," Emma laughed. "I have no idea when Neal will get there."

"Well, we have enough food for a day or so. These guys could use a good long ride. Drogo doesn't mind a trip, do you boy?"

Her horse let out a loud neigh as Dany tried to get him to take the bit.

"Okay, if he's sure." Emma lowered her stirrups a few notches. Dany was about a foot shorter than she was. They led the horses outside and Dany climbed up.

"Are you coming?"

"Give me a minute?"

"Sure."

Emma ran back into the house and headed for the bedroom. Her box of stuff was still on the floor in front of the closet and she grabbed the jacket. "Keepsake," she told Dany when she got on Swanfire.

"Is that the only thing you want?" Dany pushed.

"I didn't miss any of the rest of it."

"Okay." The women kicked their horses into a trot until they reached the meadow past Dany's property. Then they let the horses have their reins and raced across overgrown meadows.

* * *

_Emma stumbled into her New York apartment, whiskey strong on her breath. August had taken her out to one of his favorite dive bars and she'd met this guy, one of his friends. His name might have been Neal, but she wasn't sure. Maybe it had been Nick. Her badge and cash landed on the counter beside a short pile of dirty dishes that had been sitting there for a week. The most decorated thing in her apartment was the front door, swirly writing covered the outside of it, and she still managed to stub her toe on the coffee table when she tried to get to the poor excuse for a couch._

_With a groan, she pulled out her vibrating cell phone. August wanted to know if she'd gotten in alright. She sent back what she intended to mean yes, but it was probably garbled. Closing her eyes, she waited for his impending response._

_But it didn't come and, bored, she found herself scrolling through her contacts with blurry eyes. She landed on Regina's name. Shaking her head, she put the phone face down and stood, maneuvering into the bathroom to drench her face in cold water. Most of it ended up on her t-shirt. With a huff, she returned to the couch, tapping out a rhythm she didn't know with her foot while a war raged in her head._

_She picked up the phone._

_And put it back down._

_She picked it up, staring at the name._

_And put it down._

"_Don't do it, Swan," she told herself loudly even as she picked it back up and pressed 'call.'_

_It only rang twice._

_A cautious voice answered, "Hello?"_

_The gravel tone hit Emma like a ton of bricks, sobering her up faster than her wet shirt could. Tears stung her eyes as she fought to speak, but words wouldn't come._

"_Emma?"_

"_I miss you," Emma breathed, not sure if Regina could even hear her, and hung up. She threw the phone to the far end of the couch._

"_What the hell is wrong with you," she smacked herself in the forehead. "Fucking idiot."_

_Her cheap ringtone filled the apartment with noise. She eyed it cautiously before picking it up and answering without looking. "H-hello?"_

"_Why did you call me?" the voice on the other end now sounded unpleasant._

"_Wrong number, sorry."_

"_Emma Swan," Regina bristled. "You just leave in the middle of the night, and then yo–"_

"_I'm sorry," Emma coughed. "Who are you trying to reach?"_

"_Emma, I know that's you!"_

"_I'm sorry, you have the wrong number," Emma hung up again. She would regret that in the morning. She watched her phone, waiting for Regina to call again. But it never rang. The next contact down was Ruby._

"_Emma! I was wondering if I'd ever hear from you again."_

_The spunky brunette sounded a little too happy. "How is she?"_

"_Uh?"_

"_Ruby, please. How is she?"_

"_Emma…it's been a year. She left."_

"_Ruby." Emma didn't believe her._

"_She was a wreck, Em. What do you want to hear? What did you expect? She left not long after you. People around town said it was her mom. Others said she couldn't bear living here without you. No one has seen or heard from her since then. I think you broke her, Emma," Ruby fed into Emma's need. "Are you coming back?"_

"_No, no. I have a job here, in New York. I really like it," Emma said. "They said I might be moving up soon."_

"_Why'd you call, Emma?"_

_The blonde chewed her lip for a long time. "I called her."_

"_What?!"_

"_I shouldn't have. I'm drunk and I miss her. God Ruby, I miss her so much."_

"_Okay, okay," Ruby said, buying herself some time to figure out how to deal with the problem._

"_Hang on." Someone was pounding on Emma's door. "Ruby, I gotta go. Someone is here. Call me tomorrow."_

_Emma left her phone lying on the couch after she turned the sound off and answered the door. August's friend was standing there. "Can I help you?"_

_He smirked as she leaned against the door. "Just wanted to make sure you got in alright."_

"_I'm fine. Neal? Right?" she questioned. Regina's voice was pounding in her head. She had to block it out._

"_Yes," he smiled._

_She stared at his smile for too long before asking, "Do you, do you want to come in?"_

* * *

"_Ruby, I swear that's how it happened. I called. She answered. I froze. She said my name. I think I whispered 'I miss you' and then I hung up. And here's the thing, then she called me back!"_

"_What did you expect her to do? She was livid once it set in that you were gone. If she could have thrown fireballs the whole town would be nothing but cinders," Ruby amused herself, chuckling. "What'd you say when she called back?"_

"_I –" Emma was right, she did regret it. "I told her that she had the wrong number and hung up. Then I called you."_

_Ruby groaned dramatically on the other end. "Now she's probably pissed all over again."_

"_I knew she'd be angry bu–"_

"_I may have made it sound like you hated her guts…" Ruby trailed off._

"_Ruby!"_

"_I didn't know what to do, Em! I figured if she was angry then she'd get over you faster. She sat there waiting for hours, it was kind of pathetic," Ruby defended herself._

"_So was leaving her," Emma sighed._

"_So find her, Emma. Call her back."_

"_No. The past is in the past. Hakuna Matata."_

"_Are you seriously quoting Lion King at me?" Ruby asked._

"_Maybe."_

_Ruby laughed. "So, why'd you hang up so suddenly last night?"_

_Emma blushed crimson. "Well–"_

"_Emma Swan, what did you do?"_

"_You mean who..."_

* * *

After Neal had managed to get them inexplicably lost and lose valuable time driving in circles, Regina had forced him to pull over. She got out and climbed up into the passenger seat. Ripping the map from his hands she gave him directions that got them back on the highway in an hour. At midnight, he pulled over at a motel and forced her out of the car so that they could get some sleep. Assuring her that Emma was safe was the only way he'd been able to convince her that getting some shut eye would be best for everyone in the long run.

But all she'd done was roil in anger and grief all night. Her emotions were so mixed she didn't know whether to scream or put her fist through the cheap wall. By the time Neal woke up, her arms and legs were so sore from tension she could hardly move.

"Over there," Regina pointed out a secluded carpool lot hours later. "Are you sure this is what she said?"

Neal had the same sinking feeling, a knot in his gut telling him to turn around and drive 150 miles an hour away from this place. "Yeah. This is what Henry said."

"And you're sure it was Emma who gave him this message?"

The SUV came to a stop. He didn't answer her question. "You still have Emma's vest?"

"Yes?"

"Put it on," Neal looked around. He didn't turn the car off. Instead, he pulled out his gun and checked it, flicking off the safety. "Stay in the car."

"What?" Regina hissed. "Neal!"

He ignored her, taking a few steps around the front of the car. "Emma!"

Regina followed his line of sight along the trees.

"Swan! If you're out there you've got five minutes or we split!" he called. His gun came up automatically when he heard a thundering sound out in the forest. Two horses appeared at the tree line. He recognized the blonde rider immediately, and let out a breath in relief. As they got closer, a smile broke out. "I should have known you were her rescue team, Dany."

"Put the gun down, Neal, and I'll hand her over," Dany laughed, taking the reins from Emma so she could hop down and give her partner a hug.

"You're an idiot," he laughed into her hair. "Where di–"

"EMMA SWAN!" a screech and a slammed door cut them off.

Emma turned, looking over her shoulder. A little smile pulled at her lips when she saw Regina tapping her foot by the car. She walked over, hands in her back pockets. "Regina."

Regina gave her a hard look before punching her in the chest. "What the hell is wrong with you!"

"Ow!" Emma yelped as Regina rained blows on her. "Hey!"

"You left me!"

Emma pinned her arms down, hugging her tightly. "Hey! I saved your life!"

"You left me, again!"

"I did my job, I did my duty," Emma snapped, shaking her.

"You drove off a bridge, are you crazy?!" Regina kept yelling.

"Hey!" Emma yelled again, getting into her face. "I'm right here."

Regina stared at her for a second before breaking down, sobbing mouthfuls of words into Emma's shoulder that the latter couldn't possibly understand. All the blonde could make out was, "I thought you were dead."

"Shh," Emma rubbed her back.

"I finally found you and I thought you were dead."

"Regina. I'm right here. I'm fine."

After the brunette calmed down, Emma let go of her. Regina went to wipe at her eyes, but Emma beat her to it. She cradled Regina's head, her thumbs brushing over damp cheeks. Regina tensed, "Do you always take such good care of your clients, Ms. Swan?"

"Sometimes," Emma winked. "Come on, I want you to meet someone."

Regina followed her.

"Regina, this is Dany," Emma nodded to the silver haired young woman holding the horses. "Dany, this is –"

"Regina!" Dany said brightly. "I've heard so much about you!"

This time Emma tensed.

"Really?" Regina's eyes narrowed as she gave Emma a sidelong look. "And you are?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Emma's ex."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: _I feel like I'm always apologizing, but again, sorry for the delay. I haven't had the internet. But you get a double dose for your patience! I have chapter 10 and chapter 11 finished and edited, so they will be posted together! We're going to see how Regina and Emma met AND what really went down in the Mills Mansion the last night Emma was in Storybrooke. The girlfriend likes where these are going, so hopefully you all will too! And we're getting to the part that everyone really wants ;)_

_Enjoy lovelies! Leave me a message :)_

* * *

Regina stared at the trio with cold eyes as they chatted. It seemed that Emma had moved on quite easily after dumping her. The whispered _'I love you'_ that she had barely heard and clung to for years was apparently meaningless. Emma had gotten everything she wanted; a career she excelled at and a little family to replace the one she grew up without. An image of what the blonde would have looked like carrying their child flashed through her mind and she snarled. Stalking back to the car, she slammed the door shut after climbing in.

Emma, Neal, and Dany turned suddenly, staring at the Suburban. Neal checked his watch. "I think we'd better go. It's getting to be evening commute time. What better way to get lost?"

"Or found," Dany commented with a knowing look. Her years in the police force had taught her that the best place to be discovered was in a traffic jam.

"He's right though, we have a schedule to keep, and an unpleasant woman to find a new home for," Emma said softly. She gave Dany a hug, "Thank you."

"No problem, Em. Just do me one favor," Dany held on a little longer.

"What?"

"Don't let her go again," Dany whispered in her ear. Then she kissed her cheek.

Emma's eyes widened as they pulled away from the embrace. With a slight nod, she turned to say goodbye to her horse.

Neal gave Dany a quick hug. "Thanks for getting her back safe."

"She's a hell of a lot more resilient than you give her credit for, Cassidy," Dany gave him a smile and turned to get back on Drogo. She tied Swanfire's reins to her saddle so he wouldn't wander off and said a last goodbye. "Tell Regina it was nice to meet her."

Neal and Emma waved before turning back to the car as she trotted off.

"Regina told me that the two of you used to be friends," Neal's mood turned when Dany was out of earshot. "You should have excused yourself from this case the second you opened that file."

"August knew my connection when he gave it to Sarge. He asked Sarge for me specifically, for your information, sir. He wanted me on this case. And, I think–"

"Am I the only one who didn't know that you knew her?" Neal stopped walking, his voice harsh.

Emma spun around to confront him, "Why does it matter to you?"

"Because you clearly have emotional conflicts," Neal snapped. "Driving off a bridge, are you insane? We could have taken care of them the same way we did the others."

"They would have followed us the entire way to Colorado, Neal. Now they think we're dead, it buys us some time."

"Look, I know she's from your past and it probably stirs up all kinds of old memories, but if this is about that stupid bitch ten years ago who dropped you – that's no reason to get yourself killed! Other people care about you, Emma."

She took a few steps closer, until she was right in his face, growling, "Here's the thing. She is that stupid bitch! And she didn't drop me, I dropped her! And she will always be reason enough to get myself killed."

Neal took a step back, lowering his gaze as Emma followed Regina's example and stormed back to the SUV. He flinched when the door slammed shut. _What on earth have I gotten myself into?_

The two women were silent when he climbed in the driver's side. Reaching for the radio transmitter, he tentatively said, "I'm calling it in."

"No," Emma said bluntly.

"No?"

"Have you paid no attention to anything, Neal? Have you really not figured it out?" She asked incredulously. All the effort she put into training his ass was noticeably wasted. "They have been tracking us. They found our motel. Either they have the lines tapped or Sarge is selling us out. Why do you think I called Henry and not you?"

Neal glowered, "So where next, _boss_?"

"Arkansas, go through Tennessee," Emma told him. "We need to stop at a Walmart or something to pick up some cheap walkies, in case we get separated and need to communicate. You told Sarge I was dead?"

"Yes."

"And Regina?"

"Didn't mention her, he assumes she is and that I'm taking a few days off to clear my head," Neal signaled a turn and got back onto the highway.

"Good."

"Do you really think he's selling us out, Emma?"

"I think we need to focus on our job first," Emma grabbed the map from the floorboard. "And ask questions later."

Neal wasn't the only one who noticed that she didn't answer the question.

* * *

_A yellow Beetle rolled to a stop against the curb of a damp little town somewhere in the heart of Maine. The sign at the town limit had said 'Welcome to Storybrooke'. After driving for hours through uninterrupted forest where she was fairly certain that she'd seen at least one bear lurking in the trees, she was glad for the civilization. They wouldn't find her out here. The blonde stepped out of the car and took a breath of fresh air. Her nose wrinkled at the unexpected smell of salt. Perhaps she was closer to the coast line than she thought._

"_Hey, you can't park there!" A short brunette woman barked from a few feet away._

"_Sorry," the blonde shrugged, noticing the fire hydrant. "I didn't realize a little town like this would have strict parking regulations."_

"_I'm from the Mayor's Office and we most certainly do," was the response._

"_Mary Margaret, would you relax?" another brunette stepped forward. She was younger, a bit taller, her brown hair cascading over her shoulders in light curls. She offered the newcomer a handshake. "Hi, I'm Regina."_

"_Emma," the blonde took her hand. Emma swore Regina's smile was what lit the moon. "Do you know where I can park?"_

"_Umm," Regina looked around, turning on her heels. "Oh, there is a lot down the street a little, behind the bagel shop, Cagel's."_

"_Cagel's Bagels?" Emma snorted. "Thanks."_

"_Have you ever been here before?" Reigna asked, practically bouncing on her toes with excitement when Emma shook her head. "I can show you around."_

_Emma's eyes slid over to the other woman, Mary, who checked her watch and looked anywhere but at Emma. She looked back to Regina, "Sure."_

"_Awesome. M can you just tell the clerk I'm out supporting our flourishing quaint little town?" Regina asked. The older woman agreed and walked off with a huff. Emma made some room in her car and Regina got into the passenger seat. "Cagel's is literally right down the street."_

"_Cool," Emma started the car up again. "Know anywhere I can stay?"_

"_Only at Granny's Bed and Breakfast," Regina said. "Take a right here, the lot is behind the shop."_

"_Only a B and B in this flourishing quaint little town?" Emma mocked._

_Regina ignored her, "So, what brings you to Storybrooke?"_

"_Running away from my past?" Emma offered._

"_Well, Storybrooke is a good place for new beginnings. We've got just about everything here," Regina continued to prattle about her quiet and beautiful little town as they got out. "Just about everyone here walks just about everywhere."_

"_I just about see," Emma rolled her eyes. The sweetness was sickening. "Nice riding habit."_

"_Thanks!" Regina looked down. "I love your jacket."_

_Emma's brow crunched a little and her cheeks heated. She wasn't used to anyone giving her a genuine compliment, especially not _n response to her snark_. "Uh, thanks."_

"_Okay, so Granny's is right down there, this is Main Street," Regina pointed out everything as she mentioned it._

_Eventually, Emma had to tune the brunette out. The town was about five square miles, give or take, and it didn't take them long to walk around the main portions. She leaned against a rail when they made it to the docks while sea air blew at her face. Instead of listening to Regina's history of the cannery, Emma watched the waves roll around the boats._

"_So how old are you? Emma?"_

"_Hmm?" Emma hummed absently. "Oh, sorry. I'm twenty."_

"_And where are you from?"_

"_Boston, most recently."_

"_But you don't have an accent."_

_Emma turned to look at her, disbelief pulling at her eyebrows. "You are ridiculously observant. I move a lot."_

"_Well, hopefully you will find a permanent home here with us."_

_Emma wanted so badly to be miffed at the cheerful, bright, shiny happiness that exuded from Regina's pores, but she couldn't. "How old are you?"_

"_Twenty-three."_

"_Where'd you go to school?"_

"_Oh, umm," Regina blushed. "Harvard. I wanted to go to Dartmouth, but Mother wouldn't allow it once Harvard sent their acceptance letter. What about you?"_

_Emma laughed, "The school of hard knocks."_

"_I'm sorry?" Regina looked confused._

"_The streets," Emma said. "I didn't go to school. No money."_

"_I'm sorry," Regina seemed unduly embarrassed. She laid a hand on Emma's forearm._

_Flinching away, Emma turned back towards the sea. "So you ride?"_

"_Yes!" Regina got excited again. "Would you like to meet my horses?"_

"_Uh, no. Not a fan. Horses don't like me," Emma said. She forced herself not to laugh at the disappointment in Regina's eyes. "If you could just point me in the direction of Granny's, I'll be out of your hair."_

"_Oh yeah, right down there, take a left and follow Main Street back." _

_Emma threw her hand up in a wave as she trekked back._

"_It was nice meeting you, Emma!"_

* * *

It had been a long, quiet car ride. Emma and Neal took turns driving and sleeping, so they had made it into Texas in a day. Other than Neal filling Emma in on the intel he gleaned from Regina during their alone time, no one had spoken. Regina was about to go stir crazy from boredom, but her freedom from confinement was short lived. Emma got keys to some rooms at an unobtrusive motel Neal had found while he parked. Grabbing a couple bags, Regina shuffled up to the rooms first. Their supplies had dwindled a bit since Emma had driven half of them off the Brent Spence Bridge in Ohio. As soon as they were in the room though, Regina dropped her luggage and locked herself in the bathroom to avoid being forced into conversation with Emma. Since Neal had filled her in, she felt the questions burning in the blonde's mind the entire drive. Unable to face them, she opted for a shower.

Emma stretched and lounged on the bed, keeping an eye on the bathroom door. She was certain a roach would spook the pristine brunette from her hide away, but when she heard the shower turn on her mind began to wander. This mission had been exhausting and the sooner it was over, the better for all of them. Her eyes were fluttering like butterfly wings when Regina finally emerged, startling her awake.

"Welcome back," Emma said, a jovial tone attempting to offset the tension.

Regina's eyes flicked to Emma. They were dark, guarded. She rounded the bed and opened her duffle, snatching some clothes and pulling them on quickly. "So, 'stupid bitch' huh? Is that what you call me when I'm not around?"

"No," Emma actually laughed. "That's what Neal calls you."

"Good to know." She turned her back on Emma to pull a shirt over her head.

"What is this, Regina?" Emma addressed the tension. "What happened to you?"

"I suppose you would know if you'd stuck around long enough."

"I don't believe that, I don't believe that this would have happened."

"You know," Regina snapped. "It doesn't really matter what you believe because you left. And moved yourself right along. Tell me, who is Henry? And Neal, what is he really to you? And Dany? How many were there? Did you play them all the same way you played me?"

"I never played you!"

"Really? Because that's what it felt like sitting in that diner for two hours waiting for someone who was miles away!"

Emma glared at her, a decade of anger burning in her eyes. "Henry is my son. Neal was a regrettable one-night stand that I got pregnant from. It was a coincidence that he later became my partner. I had Henry because Neal wanted him. I couldn't deal with it, so I left. I went to Kentucky because that was the only position they had open. I met Dany there when she was a cop. I never mentioned you to Neal but I was 'with' Dany for three years. She got it out of me. We weren't lovers, though she wanted to be."

"There are still several years missing from that description," Regina snarled.

Rising from the bed, Emma threw up her hands. "Do you want to hear that I had a string of heartless romances? Because I didn't. There were some hookups. Nothing substantial. Not since you dismissed me from your life."

"I didn't," Regina snapped, softer this time.

"You did! Without a second thought. Mommy came home and you didn't have the backbone to stand up to her." It was Emma's turn to let the rage out. "Is that what happened? Did Mommy Cora make you play with the druggies?"

Regina sunk into the bed, gaze down.

"And then what, you turned state's evidence because of a few women? I don't buy that. Not for a second. So tell me, Regina, what the hell happened to you?"

"I found you."

"What?" Emma took a step back.

"I saw you on TV one time. I knew who you were working with. I thou–"

"You thought that if you got into Witness Protection you could find me, and then what? You risked countless lives because you are selfish. I was right, same old Regina." Emma turned, crossing the room to the door in a few paces.

Her hand was on the knob when Regina called out, "Wait!"

"What, Regina?"

"What, what do you call me?"

"Honestly?"

"Yes."

Emma took a breath and some of the anger faded away. She walked back to the bed so Regina could see her eyes. Sadness had turned them the color of the open ocean as the anger vanished. "The woman who broke my heart."

"Em."

The door clicked shut between them when Emma left.

Regina stayed in the bed, shock burying her.

Emma leaned against the door, tears that had been threatening to fall spilled over. She needed space to breathe, but ten years of hurt pinned her to the cool metal.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: _Just like I promised, one right after the other. You weren't seeing things! Short and sweet, but worth it I think. _

_I'm moving to North Carolina for the summer for my internship on Sunday, so depending on things it may be a few days before 12 gets put up but it is in the works. When I wrote chapter 11 the dialogue got away from me and I ended up writing most of chapter 13, so things got a little behind and backwards. Enjoy ;)_

* * *

Regina stared at the door long after Emma had left. She wanted to think, wanted her mind to race. But the silence was eerie; her mind was blank. She wanted blood to pound in her ears to block out Emma's voice.

_"The woman who broke my heart_."

Why did everyone think that she was the one who left Emma? Even Ruby framed it that way after letting her sit there for hours waiting for someone who was miles away. She'd been shunned by her town after the blonde vagabond disappeared in the middle of the night. She didn't even know why Emma had really left to begin with. But something Emma had told her that last night before her world collapsed had stuck with her.

"_So now you want to talk? You've said enough_."

But what had she said?

Parts of that day were hazy, but she could remember the night in crystal clarity. As if she was watching a movie roll against a white screen in a dark theater. She'd tossed and turned, for years, replaying hours over and over. She'd never been able to let it go.

* * *

"_Regina darling," Cora had called sweetly. "Have you sent your applications in yet? I didn't send you to Harvard for your undergraduate studies just so you could throw your life away."_

_The young woman swallowed. Cora hadn't even looked up from her desk. "I, actually, I wanted to talk to you about that, Mother."_

"_About what dear?"_

"_Well – I –"_

"_Sweetheart, stuttering isn't going to win you any cases in court. We've already decided on your trajectory, I don't know what else there is to discuss," Cora talked over her._

"_Mother!" Regina snapped._

_At the outburst, Cora finally looked up. She coolly took the glasses from her eyes and laid them down on the papers she had been signing. "Young lady."_

"_Forgive me, Mother," Regina apologized, immediately falling into the chair beside the desk and grasping Cora's hand. She hated herself as she did it._

"_I should have never left you unsupervised."_

"_Mother, please listen to me."_

_Cora sighed. "I'm listening."_

_Regina took a steadying breath. "Mother, I don't want to go to law school."_

"_You want to stay in this little town, I know. But you are destined for better things than this little town, my love. You're name means Queen. And one day you will be great."_

"_I don't want greatness."_

"_You don't know what you want."_

"_Yes, I do."_

"_And what is that?" Cora snapped, her anger bubbling. "To ride ponies like a man with tramps? Is that what leaving you alone for two years has done to you?"_

"_I –" Regina looked away. "Emma hasn't been to the stables in weeks."_

_Cora pushed away from her desk and walked out of the room without another word._

"_Mother, please," Regina followed. "I don't want all that. I want to live my own life."_

"_There is a bigger picture at work here, Regina. I have bigger plans for you than you can possibly imagine. Now, I put up with the horses and the running around town. I put up with the flashy car. But enough is enough. You will submit those application tomorrow morning, or there will be consequences."_

_With a nod of her head, Cora suddenly reminded Regina of a childhood of punishment._

"_It's a good thing I had a talk with Mr. Daniels about the type of people he lets around his property. Keeping that tramp away was the best decision I've made since arriving. You're so much more obedient without her influence."_

"_Mother!" Regina was appalled, but she had assumed that Cora had something to do with Mr. Daniels new rules. "You can't ban her from the stables. They are public!"_

_Cora didn't even look at her. "I will not have her near you. She has ruined your focus, your drive. She pulled you away from your studies. Brown, Harvard, Yale, they all have excellent law school programs and you are just throwing them away for some silly friend. You will thrive there. Your life could be everything we've imagined."_

"_But Mother. I want to ride."_

"_We'll move Rocinante there with you. You'll be able to keep up your training schedule." Her tone brokered no argument._

"_Yes, Mother."_

"_And speaking of your silly friend. I have heard the most awful rumors about you. I will not have those lies spread about my daughter."_

"_What rumors?"_

"_You having a relationship with that tramp," Cora picked up a riding crop from Regina's dresser, smacking it against her palm, "kissing in public. You being in love," she accentuated each statement with harder and harder smacks of the crop, "with her. I was appalled. I know my daughter would never -"_

_Regina was backed against the headboard of her bed, arms wrapped around her legs. Appearing as small as she could possibly be was a challenge at 25, but her submissiveness placated Cora. "We weren't! We didn't. Mother, they are just rumors. She's just a friend," Regina said._

_They could run away together, she and Emma. Emma could teach her. Emma wouldn't hurt her._

"_And you don't love her?"_

_She choked, and then lied as brilliantly as ever. "Of course not, Mother. Don't be silly."_

"_Good girl. Love is weakness, Regina. It will only hold you back." Cora shut the balcony doors and left the room with a triumphant smile on her face, dropping the riding crop back onto the dresser._

_Regina gave her five minutes to go back to her study before she ran to her bathroom and threw up. But in those five minutes of silence, she swore she heard something fall from the big oak tree._

* * *

Emma hadn't returned, so Regina took it upon herself to go find her. The sun was just setting and the Texas sun was brighter than she was used too. Squinting, she looked up and down the walkway. Their rooms were on the second level. She didn't see Emma so she ducked back inside to pull on sneakers she'd donned since her New York liberation. Heels weren't cutting it. Then she headed back down to the parking lot where she assumed Emma had disappeared to.

A pair of jean covered legs stuck out from the back end of the Suburban. They jumped when she spoke. "Is running how you always deal with your problems? Or just me?"

"What are you doing out here?" Emma hissed as Regina came into view.

Regina ignored the exasperation, "You didn't come back."

"You shouldn't be out here; you're supposed to be dead."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "So are you."

"You don't have to worry about me," Emma said with a roll of her eyes.

"Is it so hard for you to let someone care about you?" Regina bristled. "You were gone for a while."

"So you thought it was best to jeopardize your safety to come searching?"

"I wasn't thinking about my safety," Regina climbed up into the open trunk.

"Clearly."

"I was thinking about yours."

"Oh, so you suddenly give a damn about me? Ten years too late, Regina," Emma snapped.

Regina settled in next to her, leaning against the back of the backseat. "I came looking for you."

Emma's frosty glare flicked to her, "What?"

"I came to New York, to find you. I figured that was where you had gone, but I couldn't find you. I never stopped looking, until I saw you on the television. I knew you were okay, in a good place. I stopped then."

Emma remembered nights in a cold apartment, sobbing while she watched recorded news broadcasts covering Regina's press conferences.

"You just left," Regina said, like after all these years she still didn't believe it had happened.

"No shit." Emma pulled her knees to her chest. "You were better off alone."

"No, I wasn't," Regina barked out a laugh and put her hand on Emma's knee. The latter jerked away. "Scared?"

"Of what could happen? Yes."

"And what could happen, Ms. Swan?"

"Don't. Don't pull, Regina. I'll fall right back into you," Emma said, her eyes gentling, her voice betraying her lack of will to keep fighting against them.

"Would that be so bad, Emma?" Regina asked. She moved closer to Emma, their arms brushed.

Emma turned, sliding her legs to the side to balance. "How did you get caught up in this? This isn't you."

"Everything fell apart when you left."

"what do you mean?"

"Ask me again sometime."

"Why?"

"You don't really want to know or you would have interrogated me the first day. You do your job well, Emma, it's not like you to let it get this far without all the details. Neal was right; you should have excused yourself from this case."

"I was put on this case for a reason. They knew what they were doing. Whatever you got yourself into, I'm the only one who can get you out."

"I admire your tenacity, Ms. Swan. Really," Regina let a half smile draw up her lips. "But you don't want to know what happened."

Emma tried another approach, aware that they were gravitating towards each other. "Why did everything fall apart when I left?"

"Because I loved you," Regina whispered, looking Emma straight in the eye. "Because I never once stopped loving you."

She didn't know why, but Emma felt herself give her. Her body lunged forward and their lips crashed together. Her hands grabbed Regina's shoulders to steady herself as the other pulled her closer. Like plunging her face into ice cold water, she was suddenly aware of every nerve shooting fireworks across her skin. Her tongue swiped greedily over Regina's lips as she kissed her harder, begging to be let in. Regina acquiesced with a soft moan, her tongue greeting Emma's, sliding forward to reclaim lost territory.

Just as suddenly, Emma pushed away.

Regina let out the lightest sigh.

"Why is it you? Why are you the piece that I need to be me? How have I spent years running from you just to run back into you?" Emma questioned out loud.

"Emma."

"I loved you!" The tears were already choking her throat. "We can't do this, Regina. We know how it ends. After we get to Colorado…"

Regina finished her sentence, "I'll never see you again."

"I have always loved you," Emma said, desperation setting in. "What do we do?"

"Pretend like tomorrow is never going to come."


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: _Hi everyone. I'm sorry if I haven't gotten back to you about Ch10/Ch11 reviews, but thank you! It's been a crazy busy week with moving and orientation. If you follow me on Tumblr you'll know that I did not become a leopard snack and I had some great conversations with two big male Bengal tigers who were thrilled to see me (mostly because they knew that meant food soon). You'll also know that I spent the majority of yesterday finishing a sketch of our beautiful Evil Queen, my girlfriend just tweeted it to Lana, so fingers crossed that she responds!_

_We only have a few more chapters coming. This didn't get as far as was intended, so that might mean more for you guys in the future yay! I'm going to try to get a weekly update in. I don't have anything to do in the afternoons so it shouldn't be hard. (btw this didn't get an edit because of reasons so forgive any mess ups)_

_Enjoy!_

* * *

If Emma was right, he was making a very big mistake. But Emma couldn't be right. He'd watched her saunter off to the parking lot minutes before. If she was that afraid, then she wouldn't be running out into the open public. Sarge would never sell them out. He couldn't be. He was the closest thing Emma had to a father; she said it all the time. Everyone knew that she was his pride and joy. Every Marshal knew she was getting his job when he retired in a few years. He would never put Emma in danger. Sergeant Nolan was a stand-up guy. A guy he could respect.

Emma must have been underwater too long.

Another door slammed shut and he checked his peephole. Regina was heading down towards the parking lot. These two were the definition of idiots.

Since the coast was clear, he hit the speed dial on his cell.

* * *

"Pretend like tomorrow is never going to come."

Emma let her gaze linger as the gears in her mind spun. She contemplated every way that this could possibly go wrong, every way that it was unethical, completely against her job description, and how badly it could end. Seeing Regina again had ripped at the scar tissue over her heart like fingernails on a chalkboard, the kiss had flayed her wounds wide open. Pain trickled through her bloodstream, the remnants of the tidal wave that had drowned her when their lips met. _Could she go through that again for a taste of what her life may have been like if she hadn't left? _

"But it will come."

"Maybe not," Regina chuckled. "We've already died once, it could happen again."

"And if it doesn't?" Emma crawled out of the Suburban and beckoned Regina to follow so she could shut the trunk. If something was going to happen it was not going to be out in the open. "Can you really live with walking away again, Regina?"

"I don't think I ever walked away in the first place, Ms. Swan," Regina's tone diverted from playful to cold and clipped. She turned on her heel, dismissing a rebuttal and walked towards the stairs that would take her back to her room.

Emma kicked herself for a minute before jogging to catch up. This was crazy. She was crazy. She knew what would happen, because she would ultimately do everything that she shouldn't. "That's not an answer."

"Clearly you are uninterested. I must have misunderstood your physical affection earlier," Regina snapped, a little venom setting in.

"I didn't say that, and you don't need to get hostile," Emma snapped back, her tone lowered.

They made it to the door and Emma pulled out the key from her pocket. In a last ditch effort, Regina stood in front of her. "Will you say goodbye this time?"

Emma looked away. She could feel the accusation in the brunette's dark glare and the hurt hidden underneath. So she let her gaze drift back up, and made a promise that she wasn't sure she could keep. "Yes."

Regina's glare disappeared as her eyes spilled with trust. She moved aside so that Emma could open the door. Biting her lip, she walked in first at Emma's chivalrous insistence. With a deep breath, she let a mask of cool confidence fall into place and grabbed the hem of her shirt. She pulled it over her head as she walked, letting it fall to the floor. When she heard the door shut and the locked click behind her, she sat on the edge of the bed and crossed her legs. She watched Emma turn, her eyes going wide and jaw dropping slightly as she said, "Then yes, Ms. Swan. I will walk away when this is over."

* * *

David Nolan reached for his phone absently. He was late at the office, catching up on paperwork. He'd put it off, dealing with Emma's death, until Neal was officially back and the case was closed. But getting the preliminary forms filled out was going to take some time and he was expecting a checkup call from Gold any day. "Nolan."

"Hey Sarge."

David laid down his pen, "Cassidy?"

"Look, I gotta keep this quick, I don't know when she'll be back. The theory is you're selling us out, but frankly I think she's nuts," Neal rambled.

"Hold up, hold on," David's brow scrunched in confusion. "Who?"

"Emma's alive," Neal said. "She faked it. We all did. I'm not on vacation. We are on our way to Colorado still. She thinks you're ratting us out, sir. Because they keep finding us. I don't know how she survived, but I think she's got a little too much water in her head."

David almost dropped the phone. His eyes grew heavy with sadness until his head fell into his hand. "You shouldn't have told me that, Cassidy."

"What?"

David hung up without answering. Emma was alive. And the ADA, Mills.

The phone rang again.

He cursed. That would be Gold wanting his update.

If Emma was alive, she wouldn't be for long.

* * *

_Shit._

Neal stared at his phone.

Emma had been right. It was Sarge.

Neal paced a track into the carpet.

But he couldn't have been doing it willingly; otherwise he wouldn't have tipped his hand.

Someone was forcing him.

Someone who had something to do with Regina.

_What the hell was going on?_

* * *

Emma had crossed the room in a heartbeat, straddling the brunette's hips and kissing her hard. They swallowed each other's moans when Regina slid her tongue into Emma's mouth, demanding control. Emma's hands slid down to Regina's back, pulling her tightly against her chest. Regina's fingers were tangled in blonde hair, curls twined around them. Ferocity gave way briefly as they remembered each other again. Breaking for air, their eyes searched for hints of anything: regret, joy, thrill, embarrassment, love. Unsatisfied, Emma returned to their kiss, sucking Regina's bottom lip hungrily until the dark eyes closed and she groaned.

Impatient, Regina tore he lip away and tugged Emma's head back, giving free access to her neck. Regina kissed over her jaw, sucking a path down her jugular, her tongue catching the vibrations of her pulse. Nails dug into her back when her teeth met the blonde's skin leaving deep red bite marks. Pulling back the collar of Emma's shirt, she left another. And another. When the collar refused to stretch, she slid her lips back up Emma's neck. Her tongue peeked out to flick over the shell of Emma's ear. "I think this needs to go."

Emma ripped it off. Regina's wicked grin sent a shiver down her spine. She tossed the shirt aside and reached behind her back to rid herself of a bra too. Dark eyes lowered their gaze to drink in the sight of her bare chest when her breasts spilled free from their constraint. "Two can play dirty."

Regina's lips were back by her ear, whispering, "I will do bad things to you."

She bit down hard on Emma's shoulder; raked her nails over Emma's freckled back. The blonde's thighs shook as she sucked. A chain of bruises blossomed in her wake, highlighting the attacked collarbone.

Emma waited until Regina lifted her head to shove her back down onto the bed. She pinned her arms down, hovering above her. "How did I ever –"

"Ever what?" Regina asked, coy. Emma's nipples had peaked and she raised her head to lap at them.

_Leave you_. Emma closed her eyes. Moaning, she gave Regina back her hands. "Resist you."

Regina sucked a nipple into her mouth gently, rolling it between her teeth. Emma's back arched when she bit down a little. A harder bite got her a gasp. With a grin she realized she still knew every response. "You haven't changed."

"Just, keep," Emma ground her hips against Regina's stomach, moaning again when Regina turned her attention to the neglected breast. The friction added to the heat in her center. "Please."

Regina kept raking her nails over Emma's flushed skin. Her back, sides, ribs, arms; her body was covered in angry red lines that cataloged the assault. "You're a bit overdressed for this occasion, Marshal."

"So are you," Emma said, her voice thick. She rolled off of Regina, stripping off her jeans and underwear. Regina leered at her, a finger running from hip bone to hip bone.

"I think I can wait," Regina turned onto her side, pressing her weight against Emma. "Do you want me to make you scream?"

Emma could only nod. She was so wet. Her eyes fluttered when Regina slid two fingers deep inside of her.

"It's been so long since I felt you fall apart around me," Regina watched Emma biting her lip. She picked up her pace, sliding into Emma hard with every thrust. Her head dropped to leave kisses on every rib as it rose and fell with every gasp the blonde could manage. She added her thumb, circling Emma's clit as the blonde's body quivered beneath her. "Don't you want to come?"

"Yes." Emma growled.

Regina pushed into her harder, curling her fingers against the tightening walls.

Emma cried out, her hand wrapping around Regina's arm like a vice as her body rocked with pleasure.

* * *

"Perhaps your Marshal isn't as stupid as he first appeared to be," Gold said. His voice was smooth with glee. He could still get what he wanted. Regina's death; and a show. "He told you this?"

"Yes," David cringed. Maybe, maybe he should have just put his revolver to his head the second he hung up on Neal. But that would have been just as obvious. "She's alive."

"And Ms. Mills?"

"He didn't say anything about her," David said. Gold had always assumed that because Emma was dead, so was Regina, and he never bothered to correct him. "But, I would say that she's alive."

"You did the right thing, David Nolan," Gold patronized. "Telling me this will save you a lot of trouble."

"Don't hurt my guys, they are good cops," David pleaded. "Please, they're only doing their jobs."

"Oh, Mister Cassidy will be fine so long as he doesn't try to be a hero. But Miss Swan made this personal," Gold said. "I won't make any promises about her."

* * *

"You know, it's so weird seeing you in sweats," Emma commented as she pulled them over Regina's legs. A tug at the exposed knees brought her target to the edge of the bed.

"They're yours. You drove my clothes off the bridge," Regina winked. Her smile was predatory as Emma sunk to her knees between her thighs.

"I guess I'll have to make that up to you then," Emma kissed the inside of each thigh. She breathed the long forgotten scent that was entirely Regina and lightly dragged her tongue over Regina's clit.

The brunette shuddered.

Emma put one leg over her shoulder as her tongue kept flicking the sensitive nerves. The thighs around her head quivered and she grinned. She let herself explore but becoming familiar with Regina's anatomy again took all of five seconds. As much as she wanted to drag out the tension, she needed Regina in her mouth. The taste of her was strong, heady. Emma needed more. Without a warning, she slid her tongue inside Regina and smiled at the loud moan she received.

Regina fisted the sheets in her hands. Neal certainly heard that. She ground her hips against Emma's face as encouragement and the friction doubled. The blonde was devouring her. Her hips bucked and let out a strangled scream as she came undone. Emma pulled away, catching her breath. When her muscles relaxed, Regina propped herself up on her elbows. Her tongue ran over her lips at the sight of her arousal coating Emma's chin. "You look good enough to eat."

* * *

Neal continued to pace his room, lost in his thoughts.

_Should I tell Emma? She's going to kill me._

_But if I don't then we could end up dead, ambushed._

_She'll haunt me in the afterlife._

_I should tell her, she deserves it. I fucked up._

A keening wail interrupted his thoughts.

"What the fuck?" He looked at the shared wall. A deep moan, followed by a loud smack clued him into exactly what was going on. "Oh, no fucking way."

Well, he sure as hell wasn't interrupting that.

* * *

Hours later, when she opened her eyes, Emma saw Regina staring down at her with a tenderness she couldn't remember ever seeing. "What?"

"You are…beautiful…" Regina said softly. "I forgot what this, what you…were like. I forgot how much I–"

Emma kissed her. They didn't need to say it. They didn't need to say anything. It would only make it worse. She tugged on Regina's arm, coaxing her down to lay with her. This was how it should have been, the two of them against the world. Maybe she could have saved Regina.

"I never should have left.

"Don't."

"No. I'm sorry."

"Me too."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: _Hi everyone, here we go! What really happened ten years ago? Our ladies are going to force it out of one another, literally! Get excited. I hope you all enjoy :)_

_Also, thank you to the anon who told me that Regina liking Cheetos has become some sort of canon for them. Loved that!_

* * *

The road to Colorado was long and silent. No one spoke. Emma stared directly ahead; she didn't dare look back. The path to her final heartbreak uncoiled before her. It would finally be over. They'd had their night; that one last time. She finally knew that that one more day that Diamond Rio told her about was like. And they were right, she would be wishing for one more day for the rest of her life. But they would leave Regina in the little town of Pagosa Springs, and every mile she put between them would put her heart back together stitch by stitch.

Regina refused to look to her future. She stared out the window, watching trees flash past so quickly you couldn't possibly know what they were out of context. She could have prevented this, had she been stronger. She could have kept Emma. This wouldn't be goodbye. They just happened way too early, way too soon. If it was the last thing she did in life, she would find Emma again. They were a perfect mistake. Even if she could never have Emma, even if Emma was never truly hers, she would see Emma again.

Neal gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. Guilt plagued him. They were driving straight into a trap. Trying to tell Emma in the morning had been fruitless. She was driven, single minded. She was saying goodbye the only way that she knew how. After she'd snapped at him one too many times, he gave up. Now she was silent, unhearing. His few attempts at conversation had gone unnoticed. She barked a direction every now and then so they wouldn't get lost.

Asphalt turned to gravel which turned to dirt as they slowly drove through the tiny mountain town. Emma cringed at the lodge that had been secured as Regina's new home, but the brunette said nothing.

She'd asked for this.

Another SUV, dark green, was parked in a clear patch of dirt. Neal pulled in beside it. Emma assumed it was the landlord. But August stepped out, one of his smiles stapled to his face. At Emma's confusion, his eyes flicked to Neal. A few paces behind Emma, Neal shook his head as a warning.

August turned back to Emma, "Not happy to see me?"

"What are you doing here?" Emma asked.

"I knew you weren't dead, Swan. Only an idiot would have believed that. You could have gone pro, gone to the Olympics for diving," he laughed with a nervous edge. "I figured you might want another ride. I wasn't sure how banged up Cassidy's SUV was."

"You're a terrible liar," Emma shouldered her bag and brushed past him. "I'm assuming the house is unlocked?" They would spend the night with Regina to make sure she was secure and leave in the morning.

"Uh yeah."

"Did Sarge send you?"

"HQ did," he shrugged. "I guess they didn't fall for your trick either."

Neal gulped as Emma's eyes narrowed and slid to him. Her gaze said, _What did you do?_

"So nice to see you again, Regina," August helped her from the backseat. "Can I take your bag?"

"That won't be necessary, Mr. Booth," Regina addressed him formally. "But thank you."

* * *

Emma had gone out to secure the perimeter. August called it 'exploring.' Neal's voluntary accompaniment was shot down instantly. She knew he did something stupid and she didn't want to kill him in the woods and have to explain it later. Regina followed her though, against everyone's wishes.

"You didn't tell her?" August accused the second the two women were outside. "Are you insane?"

"Dude, I tried," Neal jumped to the defensive. "You should have seen her this morning, she was a nightmare. And last night was no time for barging in on them."

"You shoul–" August stopped, a sly grin exposing his teeth. "Barging in on them?"

"I didn't think she was that unprofessional, I know she has her moments but," Neal shook his head.

"Does she tell you anything?" August asked, sipping on a beer he'd confiscated from the fridge. His little plan had worked, sort of.

"What do you mean?"

"Regina is _the_ woman. The _stupid bitch_."

"I know that!" Neal cut him off. "She's still a client. Emma is going to get them killed with her lack of judgment. We still have a job to do."

August watched him sulk. "You ever have an unrequited love?"

Neal thought for a moment and nodded.

"Given the chance, regardless of morals or professional ethics, wouldn't you go for it?"

He laughed, "There's no way in hell I could."

"What is she dead?"

"No!"

"Then given the chance?" August tossed back the rest of his beer.

"Yeah, yeah, okay I would."

"So give her a break, Neal. Emma can survive gun shots and bombs and driving a truck off a bridge, but this one might kill her."

* * *

"Tell me the truth," Emma said, poking rocks on the ground with a long branch. They'd searched the perimeter and come up empty. Aimlessly, she'd wandered around the yard while Regina tagged along at her heels. Ending up at the wood pile (she'd laughed at the thought of Regina chopping wood) she decided that she wasn't ready to go in yet. "How did this happen?"

"Emma."

"No. Tomorrow it's over, it's all over. And I deserve the truth. You left town right after me."

"A lot changed when you left. I changed."

"I don't believe that."

"You have to."

Emma threw the branch into the trees. "And I did this to you?"

"It's a long story, Em."

"What did you do?"

The edge in Emma's voice finally snapped her open. "You want to know what happened when you left? Everything fell apart! I fell apart! I couldn't take her anymore. I – we fought one night. She tried to take Rocinante away from me. I stood my ground, like I should have done for you."

Emma let it slide. "Did she hurt you?"

Regina didn't move. She didn't answer. She stared blankly at a dark space in the forest like the demons from her past would escape and claim her once more. She was never free. "The next day when I got to the stables, Mr. Daniels had – he put Roci down. Because of her! He took my horse out and shot her right in front of me."

"Regina," Emma breathed, her voice small, her eyes wide.

"I lost it. She was so satisfied with herself. I went into the kitchen and got the butcher knife. I killed her."

"How?"

"I cut out her heart!" Regina snarled bitterly. "I'm surprised she even had one."

Emma unconsciously moved away from her.

"Gold covered it up. I didn't even know he was there! But he was visiting with my mother, they were associates. There was some other guy with him, I don't know who. But they walked in at the end. I was…they saw the blood, the knife. They covered it up! But then I owed him! That's how I got wrapped up with them," Regina finally looked over at Emma. The tears burned her eyes, but she could see revulsion on Emma's face. "I didn't want to Emma, but didn't know what else to do! I didn't want to go to jail!"

"So you became the best lawyer in New York at his command," sarcasm dripping from her lips.

"I was his pawn. He was in league with my mother. She would have turned me over to him soon enough," she spat. "I played my part until enough time had passed. And then I ran. I turned on him and now he wants me dead."

Emma stared at her, disdain simmering in her eyes. "And you blame me for that?"

"It broke me, when you left. You were the only one who ever cared about me," Regina said, almost a plead. "The night you left, remember the night you fell out of my oak tree."

Emma's gaze softened. "How did you know I was in the oak tree?"

Regina looked away. "I didn't, I had only guessed. So you heard us fighting. You heard me –"

"I heard you tell her that you didn't love me?" Emma snapped, the memory flooding back to the front of her mind. She could all but hear Regina saying it. "Yeah, I remember that."

"You never let me explain," Regina snapped back. "You told me you would be there and you weren't."

"Did you really expect me to be?" Emma asked with skepticism. "You knew me."

"For me. I thought you would be there for me. And then Ruby told me the truth."

"Ruby lied," Emma kicked a rock as hard as she could and watched it hop into the thick underbrush. "She was just mad for me."

"Emma, why did you leave me?"

"Because I needed more than a shadow box act with puppets on strings imitating a fantasy life that was always out of my reach. I loved you! You were everything I ever wanted. I don't get my hopes up, Regina. I don't. Life is so much easier that way. If you never expect anything from people you don't get hurt. But I did. I got my hopes up with you, I expected things from you," anguish welled up in her throat. "You made me happy. And I'd never been happy. But I didn't fit into your life, I never did. We were pretending. There was no place for me there, and you knew it! And you still strung me long!"

"I didn't," Regina took a step back.

"You gave me all of your love so that you could watch my face when you took it away! You're twisted, and I'm sorry for whatever you mother did to you. I was fine! Before you wormed your way into my life I was fine. You ruined me! You had no right!"

Her fist connected with Regina's jaw as the anger took control of her body. Regina stumbled back, her body twisted. Her tongue flicked out, tasting the blood that ran from her lip. She gave in to her own anger and swung back, throwing her weight behind her arm.

"I had no right?" she barked. "And what right did you have to destroy my heart? I stood up for you! I fought for you every day with her! But you were too hot headed to ever listen to me!"

"I heard enough on my own!" Emma swung low, a killer upper cut. But a shout from behind distracted her, and she missed. Clipping the brunette's cheekbone was still enough to put her on the ground. Emma turned and growled. "August, stay out of it!"

"Emma," he'd jogged to her. Apparently his plan had not worked so well. The wild look in her eyes told him that she was getting ready to swing at him next, or go for her gun. He grabbed her and slammed her against the side of the house. "Look at her."

She glared at him.

"Look at her!" He grabbed her chin and forced her to look over to where Neal was helping Regina from the ground. "I know that punch you were going to throw. You would have killed her. You're going to kill her. You're hurting her."

Emma stared at Regina until she stared back. The fire in the dark eyes had gone out. She'd given in to whatever punishment Emma was ready to dish out. The adrenaline drained from her veins, her limbs relaxed. When August finally let her go, she walked a few steps away from the group.

"Emma." Regina called to her softly.

"You broke my heart," Emma said, not turning around. "You broke my heart that night."

"She had a riding crop in her hand. You couldn't see that. She was prepared to beat me when she asked me that question. When I was growing up, she would tie me to chairs in the kitchen and whip me until I bled. She would lock me in closets for entire weekends and then beat me when she let me out. You didn't hear me fight for you that night because I was fighting for me. She would have killed me, eventually.

"I waited for you at the diner for two hours. My bags were packed and waiting with me. I snuck out of the house that day. I was going to run away with you. Because I wanted you. I trusted you. And you weren't there."

Emma closed her eyes.

"You didn't just break my heart. You took it with you."

Emma turned slowly, the realization dawning on her that this was truly her fault. "I did this to you."

Tears were rolling down Regina's cheeks.

The two men stared between them, unsure of what would happen next. For a second, Emma and Regina were the only people in the clearing. The earth stopped breathing.

A glint of light in the trees caught Emma's eye and she looked up. "No."

The gunshots filled her ears.

"Regina!"


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hi guys, I'm sorry for the delay. My internship has been kicking my ass lately and I've just been exhausted. This chapter gave me a fit coming out, but I think I like how I got it.

In response to a couple reviews, yes, the fist fight was a bit hasty in the last chapter. I handled it like I would handle myself. I throw punches. And Regina is exactly the type to punch back. It was out of heated frustration and pent up anger and love. We tend to hurt the ones we love. But, I can see how it was a bit rushed so I tried to take my time with this chapter and make it flow. In return you guys had to wait a little longer. No promises on the next chapter, but hopefully before next week.

Enjoy guys, and thanks for the feedback! I do read it and use it!

* * *

_Being pregnant did not mesh well with being a cop. She'd been sidelined at four months, only being allowed to ride along on non-emergent cases and talking to the dispatch with relayed information. At six months she'd been desk ridden. No one even had the option of volunteering extra hours for desk duty, she was cuffed to it. So she caught up on paperwork. Her paperwork. Her partner's paperwork, his new partner's paperwork, it was circuit that she looped through precinct on. At eight months they had forced her onto maternity leave._

_Truth was, by then she was happy to go._

_Neal's apartment was bigger and more ideal for raising a baby. When she'd found out that she was pregnant, he'd jumped at the idea of having a kid. She'd been terrified that he would run, but he'd opened up his home and insisted that she move in so they could play happy little family. He was already a better father than she would ever be a mother. He'd painted the guestroom a light blue. He'd built every piece of Ikea furniture she'd insisted they buy. He'd bought every toy he could find._

_Meanwhile, she'd read tabloids and pretended her glass of water was a glass of wine. She refused to become one of those vomit worthy moms who bought every ridiculous decoration they could find. Months of bickering had finally settled them on the name Henry. She had reluctantly gone out to the craft store to buy wooden letters that Neal had then painted and nailed to the wall to spell out their unborn child's name._

_The only contribution she'd independently made to the redecoration effort was a mobile she'd become mesmerized by. Made of glass and crystal, it was likely the most fragile baby toy she'd ever encountered. Unicorns, knights, castles, and dragons of varying colors hung from crystal vines strung through glass branches. When the light caught the glass figurines a rainbow scattered across the room. It was the finishing touch._

_Neal had been less than pleased._

"_Seriously, Emma?"_

"_What?" she spun it gently with her finger. "I like it. It will expand his imagination from a young age."_

"_Or he'll be gay."_

"_No he won't," Emma snapped back. "And so what if he is?"_

_Neal just eyed her for a moment. He couldn't be that mad, she'd finally taken an interest in their child. Now if she'd just take an interest in him. "Have I ever told you that I like your hair that color?"_

_The one indulgence she allowed herself during this pregnancy was her hair color. She'd taken to a deep red just before she knew she was pregnant, after her drunken tryst with Neal. "No."_

"_Well, I do."_

_Emma rolled her eyes. It was never going to happen._

* * *

_She was going crazy. She wasn't cut out to be a mom. She needed to get away. And after three weeks of begging they finally let her back on the force, part time. Apparently, the court house was short on bailiffs and she was the perfect candidate. Apparently._

_On her second day she was bored, by her second month she was snoozing through most of the court processions she was assigned to. Every time a judge banged a gavel she jumped to attention. She was a cop, not a lackey. This was beneath her. Between that and all of the sleepless nights with her six month old it was only a matter of time before she passed out cold._

"_Swan!" one of the clerks whispered harshly._

"_What?"_

"_They need you upstairs. Supposedly it's a hot case and they want a real cop on the scene in case things get sticky," he said as she slipped out of the room. "Brantley is coming to cover you down here."_

_With a yawn she ran her fingers through the bouncy red brown curls she'd left loose. A quick flick of her wrist had them twisted up and rubber-banded into a loose bun that didn't hold. She huffed as the strands fell loose again. "I tried."_

"_I don't think it matters that much," the clerk said as they walked. "They just need someone with a little more rough and tumble experience."_

"_I'm on it."_

_She hustled up the stairs, groaning when she realized how out of shape she was. The doors to court room B3 were already closed so she slipped around to the back and shuffled in unnoticed behind the scribe. Scanning the room, she took note of the thick tension swimming through the air. The prosecuting attorney was turned so all she could see was a smartly cropped head of black hair, elegantly flipped out at the ends. It was a new head of hair to her, unless Fortley had gotten a hair cut in the past three hours. Emma felt her head tilt as she tried to get a better angle._

"_Ms. Mills! Your paperwork," an intern ran down the aisle from the doors with a file._

"_Mills?" Emma mumbled under her breath._

_With her back still turned to Emma, the lawyer accepted the file with a clipped 'thank you.'_

_But she knew that voice. _Regina.

_Her eyes widened as the lawyer turned. Her dark eyes flicked up to the empty judge's seat impatiently._

_Emma's heart pounded heavy in her chest. Regina looked older, her features hardened and defined. The warm innocent girl she loved was gone; in her place stood a ruthless prosecutor. Even more beautiful than before. Stunning._

_Regina's head turned, as if she felt Emma's stare hot on her cheek. Emma turned to the side, hiding her face behind a cascade of dark curls. The judge entered, snapping Regina's attention back to her case. She didn't pay the bailiff another thought._

_But Emma stood profile and rigid for hours, blessing every god she'd ever heard of when the judge dismissed them for the day. She scampered out faster than a snake could strike._

_Regina was in New York. Regina was a lawyer, and a damn good one._

_Emma was the court bailiff. She couldn't do this._

_And suddenly, she had a reason to run again._

_And she ran. Out of the building and down the street to her precinct, begging to be removed from her duties._

"_A position did just open up," her chief said with a knowing sigh. "Out in Kentucky."_

_She hadn't thought about leaving the city. But she was a cop, and if she stayed she was destined to run into Regina at some point. Possibly even work with her, or for her._

_But Henry…Neal would have to take him full time. He basically already did._

"_Let me clarify, Swan," her chief got her attention back. "You've been relocated. Enjoy the thoroughbreds."_

* * *

"_You can't leave him, Emma! You can't just run away from your problems!" Neal had been screaming at her for hours as she packed her bags. "He's your son!"_

"_I was going to give him up until you convinced me to keep him, because you wanted him!" Emma yelled back. "I'm not a mother, Neal. I don't want to be a mother."_

"_You wanted a family, this is a family."_

"_And this is my career! My job! I can't just tell Chief to go screw himself. Do you know what I went through to get this job? I'm a girl, they already don't think I can do it, that's why they sidelined me with court."_

"_What about Henry?"_

"_What about him? You're a great dad. And he'll be better off with a great dad who loves him than with a mom who doesn't want him. I love him, I do. But I don't know how to do this."_

"_But you were so excited. What about our family?"_

"_We aren't a family, Neal. We're two people who had a drunken one night stand, got pregnant, decided to live together to raise this kid that only one of us wanted."_

"_What about happy ever after?"_

"_Fairytales don't exist, Neal," Emma said, similar words from years passed echoing in her ears. "Neither do happy ever afters."_

"_Emma."_

"_It's my job. I have to go."_

"_Is it? Your job?"_

_Emma just shook her head; tears she didn't know that she wanted to cry clung to the corners of her eyes. She shut the door behind her. _No. It's her.

* * *

In the seconds that it had taken for the bullets to slice through the air, Emma launched herself at Regina. If she was honest with herself, the earlier ferocity had come from years of shooting at targets to relieve her frustration, to quiet the dragon that roared in her chest whenever she thought of Regina, to keep unrequited love at bay. The earlier ferocity had come from the same place in her soul that selfless protective instincts come from. As much as love made her want to kill Regina, it made her want to be her savior even more. When they collided, the two women fell to the ground with a yelp shared between them.

Emma got to her knees first, crouching low over the brunette to cover her with as much protection as she could offer. "Are you hurt?"

Regina looked up, fear widening her eyes. Grabbing her shoulder, Emma shoved her back behind the stack of firewood adjacent to the house. "Emma."

But the blonde had already turned, gun in hand. August lay a few feet from her, dead from a bullet to the head. He'd lunged to protect Emma as she had for Regina. Emma rested her head against a block of wood, begging her emotions to stay in check. Neal had disappeared, presumably dodging behind the house. The bullets had subsided, but the threat still loomed over them. _Maybe I can't save her_. _Maybe I was never meant to_.

She raised her head to gaze out over the trees where the assault had sprung from. Seeing nothing she stood slowly, prepared to grab Regina and run if the situation presented itself.

Another shot rang out.

"Emma!"

But the cry was overshadowed by her groan of pain as the bullet ripped through her shin and she sunk to her knees. A forced glare in Regina's direction made the woman stay hidden. A snarl curled her lips as she shot back blindly, determined to find a mark. Another bullet struck her shoulder and she lost her gun. And still her stare focused on the trees that were raining bullets on her.

"Em!"

It was Neal.

"Get her out of here!" A jerk of her good shoulder sent Neal's gaze in Regina's direction.

"But you're–"

A third bullet sunk into her stomach and she wondered briefly why her vest had failed. As she collapsed her eyes landed on Regina, on the hole in her blouse were a bullet would've taken her heart and torn it into pieces. Her vest hadn't failed; it had done its job marvelously.

"Her, Neal. Keep her safe."

"Emma," a broken voice called her name and her eyes flicked open. _When had she closed them?_

"I'm fine Regina," she smiled, forcing the glass out of her eyes to prove she was alive. "Go with Neal, I'm right behind you."

She kept her eyes open until she thought Neal had pulled Regina around the back end of the house. With a sense of finality, Emma laid her head down on the dirt warm with her blood and let dark waves consume her.

* * *

"If you don't go back for her, Neal, I swear to god, I will steal your gun and kill you and go back for her myself," Regina snapped as he pushed her unceremoniously into the passenger seat of his SUV.

"You will stay in this damned car," Neal slammed the door shut. The gunshots had stopped. He jogged to climb into the driver's seat and turned on the engine.

Regina stared ahead, eyes spilling over with tears. "Her goal in life was to find someone to die for. Someone worth giving her life for."

He let his eyes search the air. "And?" He couldn't meet her gaze.

"She did. I asked her the other day if she did. She said they threw her out with Friday's garbage," Regina said softly. "My heart broke a little bit; I thought it was you."

"Me?!" Neal swung his head to look at her.

"But I was wrong," she kept going. "It was me. And I did. I turned her out. And she still gave her life to protect me."

Neal sighed and beat his head against the steering wheel a few times. "Stay here."

Regina turned to him, confused. Neal climbed out of the SUV and ran back around the house. She let a smile creep onto her face. Sitting back, she tried to collect herself. Emma was going to be a mess if Neal got her to the SUV.

It had only been about ten seconds but they drug themselves out slowly. Her brief elation became concern when Neal didn't return with Emma immediately. But she couldn't let herself panic.

A black gloved hand wrapped itself around her mouth, pulling her head back flush against the head rest. "Don't say anything."

Now she could let herself panic.

Her eyes rolled in her head. She knew that voice.

"Gold really wants to see you, Regina," it said smoothly. "So this is how we're going to do this. You're going to stay in that seat, and not move. Because if you do, I'll kill you. Gold won't mind as long as I bring your body back. And I'm going to get in the driver's seat. Convenient your friend left the keys in the ignition. And we're going to leave."

It was Jaime, the damned dog Gold set after her heels the minute she'd joined up with his organization. "Please, I need to know–"

"If she's alive?" He sneered, coming into her vision when he climbed between the seats to take the wheel. "She's not."

Regina choked back a sob.

"Can we go now?"

She didn't say a word as he drove off. She was going to die. And Emma's life had been in vain.

* * *

Neal crouched by Emma's head, forgetting every lesson of manhood he'd ever learned and crying because she was alive.

"Is she safe, Neal?"

Her voice was faint, and her eyes were closed. But she was talking.

"Yes, we're going to get you safe too." He slid an arm under her shoulders, supporting the injured one.

"Take care of her."

"No, Emma, you have to take care of her. You love her. She loves you. You're a royal bitch sometimes but so is she and she needs you. Now pull it together, Marshal."

"Thank you," Emma breathed. Her body went limp.

"Emma, no!" He shook her gently. "Emma!"

He picked his partner up in his arms and carried her to the waiting vehicle, to Regina. But as he rounded the corner, the SUV was backing up. The tires screeched as the driver threw it into drive. Neal saw Regina's face when her eyes landed on Emma and then flicked up to him. Sorrow was buried there, underneath a layer of cold realization.

Emma was dead. And she wasn't far behind.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: _HIII! I'm so sorry that it has taken me so long to update. At the end of my internship I had to finish 7 11x14 drawings in a week and a half. And then when I got home we had no internet and I'm lucky I got this up today because Panera's wifi was completely uncooperative._

_I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I'm going to try my best to get another one up ASAP. 3_

* * *

She woke to a steady beep, thread and continuous. A sound so irritating she could liken it only to a fly buzzing around your room in the middle of the night when you're trying to sleep. But then again, not everyone despised hospitals the way Emma did. With a groan, she attempted to sit up. Throbbing pains shot across her chest and down her arms. The beeps quickened.

Disoriented eyes began to focus on the wires and tubes running from her veins to bags of fluid hanging above her head. Something was wrapped around her face and she pawed it away – an oxygen line. She tried again to sit up, ready for the pain this time.

"How the hell am I still alive?" she mumbled through dry lips.

The walls were ironically not white, like in every cheap novel trying to pass off symbolic sterility. These were a deep blue. An abstract painting of a giant nautilus hung on the wall opposite her bed. It made her eyes blur if she looked at it too long. A green jacket was thrown over a rather uncomfortable looking chair with tan upholstery. Her red leather jacket was very neatly laid at the end of her bed.

"You're awake."

The voice turned her attention the side. Neal leaned in the doorframe, a cup of coffee in one hand, nervous smile over his lips. It looked like he hadn't slept in a month.

"Why are you here?" she asked. _Shouldn't he be finishing their mission? _"How long have I been out?"

He made a show of checking his watch. "About two weeks."

"And you got that from your watch, did you?" she asked dryly. _Maybe Regina was secure_. A thought struck her as Neal chuckled, she didn't get to say goodbye.

"How do you feel?"

"Oh, I've been better," she commented, looking away._ Regina will get over me_.

"Like when Jones was chasing you through the Rockies and you fell off a cliff? Or how about when those three guys had you cornered, guns pointed at your head, and you dove into an open manhole, into a sewer, to escape?" he joked.

"Or when I drove off the bridge?" Emma smiled. "Something like that."

They continued to joke about her exploits and near death escapes for the better part of an hour. The coffee sat on a table, forgotten steam curling into nothing. Neal sat on the edge of the bed. "It's good to have you back, boss."

It was the few moments of following silence that unsettled her. The fact that he hadn't mentioned Regina when he knew that would be her first question. "Where is she?"

His eyes fell to the floor.

Panic. "Neal!"

"I don't know, Emma."

She lunged forward, grabbing him by the neck of his t-shirt, the pain in her body forgotten. "Cassidy, where the hell is she?"

"I'm sorry," he said. The beeps on her monitors got faster with her pulse. "I'm so sorry."

"You told me she was safe!"

"And she was!" Neal snapped back, trying to jerk out of her hold. "When I told you that, she was."

"What," she snarled in his face, "did you do?"

"Em-I-"

"What the fuck did you do?!" she screeched.

His eyes finally flicked up to meet hers. "I fucked up. I called Sarge. I told him you were alive."

"After I specifically told you not to do that precise thing?"

"I told him we were still on target."

Emma let go of his shirt, leaning back in her bed with hands over her face.

"I got her out, Emma. Then I came back for you. She told me she'd kill me if I didn't. I thought–"

"They drove off with her because you left the keys in the ignition?!" Emma got there before he could. "You are completely worthless as a cop, do you know that?"

"Emma."

"I could have died, I almost did. Regina probably is dead by now, or if she's not she's in devastating agony because they are torturing her. What the hell is your problem?"

"Emma."

"Shut up!"

"We're looking for her! We know Gold has her here, in Denver."

"Gold?"

"Yeah?" Neal questioned. "He keeps sending us video feeds. Taunting us."

"Where is Sarge?" She snapped; she could hear the nurses rushing to respond to the rapid beeping on her monitors.

"I don't know."

"You find that son-of-a-bitch and tell him to get me out of here, now."

* * *

The doctor had been unwilling to let her go, but she'd insisted and David's "she's a US Marshal" bullshit worked. Neal had been set up in a local police station, crammed in an interrogation room with three computers and a white sheet for a screen on the wall. Emma walked in on David's heels, hounding him about the case.

"So where are they now? Do you _at least_ know that much?" Emma asked with such spite she was surprised Sarge didn't slap her. Instead, he pulled out the desk chair for her.

"The feeds are too short," he shook his head. "We know they're here in Denver."

"And she's alive?"

"To our knowledge. They appear to be live." He forced to her sit.

Her limp was pronounced and apparently he'd taken a chivalrous tone in making sure she took care of herself. "And you're doing what about it?"

She rolled over to the computer and read through Neal's reports briefly while he talked. "We've been tracking their visual presence, but they seem to vanish as soon as we get eyes on them. Neal has been–"

"Neal? You let that idiot carry on with this alone? After defying orders?"

"To save your life!"

"And why did I need saving in the first place?!" Emma shot back. That shut him up. "You put that boy on a leash. Chain him to the floor. I don't want to see him. If he'd listened to me, we wouldn't be trying to save our client again, and I wouldn't have been nearly shot to death. He's out. Do I make myself clear?"

"Marshal, you're out of line."

"Am I?"

"Stand down."

Emma glared at his reflection in the computer screen. "Where are the video feeds?"

"We don't have them saved," his tone told her that he knew what her response would be.

She drummed her fingers over the bridge of her nose. Her healing wounds were sore and her patience was wearing thin.

"He should be contacting us soon," David offered. "It's about that time."

"Then we'll wait," she resigned.

* * *

There was nothing to do but sleep. That or stare into the never ending darkness. If was had been cognizant, she'd know that concrete floors do not mold around anything once set and the walls were not moving. But when you'd been beaten enough times anything comforting became real and she wore there was shallow dip in the floor where she lay curled up. Sometimes she swore the walls moved because in the dark nothing had an ending or a beginning and once the door was shut her tiny prison became expansive. The dark didn't bother her anymore. She didn't know what day it was.

She kept time by the number of beatings. There were up to fifteen. She assumed some had happened during the same day so really she had no clue how long she'd been a prisoner. All she knew was that she wanted to die.

_Emma died to save you_.

She wanted to die.

The sound of grating metal clicking open drew her from a half-hearted slumber. Her arms protested as she lifted herself from the ground. The door swung open and light from the hall blinded what was left of her vision. She blinked stupidly.

"Time for another show, Regina," another minion, Greg Mendel, spat in her face. "Boss wants you."

"Just kill me," she begged as he pulled her to her feet.

"Aww, but then she would have lived for nothing," he laughed. "Come on."

_Emma was alive?_

"What?"

He ignored her, pushing her roughly forward. But her muscles were weak and he ended up dragging her half of the way to the loading area where she'd been brought routinely. The large doors stayed closed and she wondered if help was just beyond them today. Light tapping footsteps boomed in the open space. Gold was walking towards a table that had been set up in the middle of the room; an examination table, or a stretcher, with straps that hung limply off the sides.

"Well, well, well, Ms. Mills. It seems you've survived for another," he mulled the word choice over, "play date."

She tried to glare at him, but her broken face made it comical.

"You'll be thrilled to know that your heroine is alive, or so my sources tell me," he continued in his pompous tone. "Not that you'll ever see her again, though I know you're _dying _to. Try to not beg her to rescue you. I think she's put her life on the line quite enough times for you, don't you agree? Not that you're worth it, but she's probably trying to make up for leaving you in the first place."

"How do y–"

"I know everything, dearie," he grinned; gold tooth glittering. "Now, up on the table you get like a good girl. I got a new toy today, and you're going to test it out."

It was the weird squeaky laughter that got her; shivers running through her nerves. Greg hauled her onto the table and strapped her down. They got pleasure out of it, sick and twisted pleasure out of her state, out of hearing her scream. Terror coursed underneath her skin. She had no idea what was happening.

_Maybe I'll die today_.

* * *

"Emma!"

She jerked too fast and winced when pain shot up her neck. "Fuck. What?"

"It's coming in."

"Is your guy ready?"

"Yes."

"Neal?" Her partner had been lurking all afternoon.

"Getting coffee, out of your way," David placated.

"Good." Emma stared down the makeshift screen on the wall. David had warned her about Regina and the shape she was in. She wasn't sure that she actually wanted to see it. Static erupted against the white sheet, fading into an image of someone's chest.

"Ms. Swan!" A gnarled voice exclaimed brightly. "Yes, I know you're there. So glad you're alive. It was nothing personal; you just got in my way."

Emma's glare turned briefly to David, who took a few steps out of her range.

"I got a new toy today and your Ms. Regina has been so kind as to volunteer to test it out. I'm excited that you're able to join us. Unfortunately, it's a one way feed; your beloved won't be able to see you."

"Just show her to me!" Emma growled.

"Shall we begin?" The disembodied voice was far too gleeful.

Whatever Emma had hoped for in seeing Regina was squashed instantly. As he stepped away, Emma felt her stomach heave at the sight. The woman tightly strapped to the stretched was a pale imitation of the woman she loved. Regina's clothes were ripped or missing. Her leg looked broken. Any exposed skin showed open wounds that were beginning to fester. Her face was bruised, eyes blackened. Her nose looked broken in at least two places. Blood matted her hair.

Emma talked to David out of the corner of her mouth. "What did they do to her?"

"I'm sorry," was all he offered.

Wires were pressed all over Regina's body; temples, arms, hands, feet, legs. Without warning, Gold flipped a switch and gut wrenching screams filled Emma's ears. Her mouth went dry. She watched Regina convulsing helplessly as electricity pumped through her body.

"Well, I guess it works," Gold sniggered. "Again."

Fresh screams echoed in her head for a few more seconds before the feed shorted out. Emma knew that it wasn't over for Regina. Her terror had just begun. She asked again, "What did they do to her?"

"Emma."

"Tell me!" She threw a chair across the room. "You betrayed me! You set this up, and you did this to her! So you will tell me what they did to her."

David's face grew solemn, "I didn't want to."

"Save it! I don't care right now the moral reasoning or lack thereof as to why you did it, Sarge. Just tell me," Emma growled at him.

"He's come up with something different every day. Do you really want the specs? He tortures her, but keeps her alive. I think he's been waiting for you, to show off."

"Did your guy get a location?" Emma fumed. Her mind was racing and she needed a GPS acknowledgment.

"It was too encrypted," David shook his head. "He couldn't get a lock."

"That's okay," Emma turned away. There had been a symbol painted on the wall wherever Regina was being tortured. A symbol she remembered.

Meanwhile, David's jaw hung a little slack. Emma didn't get up fights. _What the hell is with her_?

"I have to go," she gestured her frustration at him with emphatic hands. He followed her out of the interrogation room turned commando station. With purpose, she strode through the building, pulling out her guns and checking her ammunition. "You, I need a flak jacket and any other spare guns you have laying around."

The officer she'd pointed out stared at her.

"_Now_," she directed with a tone that wondered if he spoke English.

As he scurried off, David caught her shoulder. "What are you doing?"

Her eyes squinted in confusion, "My job? Something you seem to have trouble with."

"You're injured." She kept walking. "Emma."

She gestured to the desk officer. "Hey, yeah. I need a squad car. I need every available unit you have, SWAT, and whoever else you can glean from the other departments around her. I want a secure radio line. You're going to tell them exactly this."

The officer hurriedly scribbled down her specific instructions.

Furious at being ignored, David grabbed for her bad shoulder. Emma spun, gun in hand, and aimed it for his head. Hands up, he back away slowly. "Do not touch me."

"You aren't going anywhere," he argued.

"No, _you_ aren't going anywhere. Let me make this clear, Sarge. I don't take orders from sell outs. I don't take orders from someone who has put me in danger unnecessarily and repeatedly. You are going to do as I say," she unlocked the safety. The first officer she'd given directions to returned with a bullet proof vest and three guns. "This officer, who has kindly brought what I asked for, is going to take you to the most secure lock up here. He is going to strip search you, take everything from you, and give you a jumpsuit, until I get back. You will make no contact with anyone else."

"Where are you going?" David asked as the officer began to lead him away.

"I know where she is."

"Get off of me," he growled at the officer.

"She has a gun, man."

"So do you!"

"David!" Emma snarled. "I will shoot you, so help me."

"You wouldn't," he dared her.

With a hard look, she pulled the trigger and shot him in the leg. "We'll call it even then."


End file.
